This is the Story of My Life
by GallifreyGryffindorGirl
Summary: Aien Winchester is a peculiar supernatural being with a past she doesn't like to discuss who, after saving the brothers lives, was raised with them. These are a few stories of her adventures with the brothers as well as her developing relationship with the angel - and her best friend - Castiel. Written for fun and entertainment :)
1. Authors Notes

Just a few notes.

This is my first time writing a supernatural fanfiction, so I am not sure if I have gotten the characters down completely but give me time and I am sure it will progress.

Aien is my own character.

These are a series of one-offs about her adventures with the Winchesters - who she considers brothers - and her the evolution of her relationship a certain angel of the lord - Castiel.


	2. LEAN ON ME

****Physical Attack Warning****

 **LEAN ON ME**

Summary: _In this series of one-shots OC Aien is hunting solo, suffering a bit of a breakdown after everything happening to her family (the Winchesters, Castiel, Bobby etc.) But when she gets into a spot of trouble who turns up to save her?_

* * *

Aien knocked back another shot as her phone began to ring. She looked at the caller ID – Dean – and sent it straight to voicemail. Her brothers had been trying to get a hold of her all night, they'd started alternating who would call them. First Sam then Dean then Sam then Dean… they even tried summoning her, she felt their prayer like words carried to her ears on a breeze that shouldn't have existed in the dismal little bar. Still she ignored them, she needed a break.

The boys didn't give up though. Her phone rang again almost as soon as it had stopped – Sam this time – and she felt Dean's prayer reach her ears. Curse the angel blood running in her veins. She wanted nothing more than to shut them out, but it was near impossible… she'd have to ask Castiel if he could teach her to ignore it if he ever got his marbles back.

Castiel… upon thoughts of her now crazy best friend Aien downed another shot. That damn daft angel. Between his…uh… numerous bad decisions (such as dealing with Crowley) and taking on Sam's memories from hell effectively turning himself into a nutbox Aien didn't know if she wanted hug him, hit him or kiss him. In actuality if he pulled through everything and came out fine on the other end she'd probably do all three.

She was giving her reflection in the mirror across the bar a dark glare. It was a big if for Cas's marbles to come back. When she'd gone with Sam and Dean to see him in the hospital he hadn't seemed all there, and while he'd spoken to everyone else he'd stared at her – a lot, it was nearly uncomfortable – but he hadn't said a word… it was a little hurtful actually but she tried not to let it get to her. The angel had always been socially inept after all.

Her phone rang again. Dean. She sent him to voicemail and hoped he'd get the message. Probably not.

"That your boyfriend?" the man who'd been watching her from two stools over for the last ten minutes asked.

"No" Aien downed another shot. She wasn't too concerned about how much she drank, a benefit of being part angel was that alcohol was metabolised very quickly. A fact she never told Dean about, and often as some form of revenge she'd challenge him to drink. Only one of them would be hungover the next morning and it wasn't Aien. "My brothers" she told the stranger. She'd already cast a bit of magic around sensing for a demon, and angel or worse a leviathan. Apparently during their time in Cas's head they'd discovered what she was – obviously she was no threat to them any more than a true angel was, but it still made her uncomfortable. She spent so many years hiding what she was it was disturbing to her.

"Overprotective?" the stranger asked, moving a stool closer to her. Aien started to eye him distrustfully.

"To right" she replied eventually "they'd castrate you before you could touch me."

"Well then… good job they're not here isn't it?" the stranger gave her a sly smile, bit Aien didn't smile back. He was a little too close for her comfort, and he wasn't the kind of person that screamed 'trust me' as much as he screamed 'run away from me'. "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

Aien flashed the man a smile, it wasn't friendly or unfriendly, and downed her final shot. "Sweetheart" she said "I'm not drunk enough to accept that offer."

"Then you should allow me to help you get to that stage" the man said with a smile, but something in his eyes put Aien off.

"Sorry but I better go find out what it is my brothers need, or they'll handcuff me to them." She slipped off her stool and stumbled a little – okay maybe she'd drank more than she should have.

"Let me walk you to your car then" said the man, slipping off his own stool and gripping Aien's arm just above the elbow tighter than necessary "it wouldn't be responsible for me to allow a drunk lady go out at night alone."

Aien sarcastically thought 'but allowing her to drive would be okay?' but didn't say it out loud. He might try drive her home. As it was she brought no car, she had no need of one, like a full angel 'teleporting' was one of her tricks. The handiest one if she was honest. Still if it got this man off her back she could just point out a random car wait until he left her alone and teleport to Dean and Sam to see what the hell they wanted.

The man dragged her to a different door form where she'd entered, she was about to mention that but for some reason couldn't find the words. There was a growing sensation of unease and it took away her words.

Especially when the man took her through a door and they wound up in the little alley between the bar and another building. Three more men waited outside the door looking impatient but perked up once the man and Aien exited the building, the door slamming shut behind them.

"About damn time" said the biggest of the four.

"Sorry, but she wasn't exactly slowing down until now. Still, means she's probably not going to remember any of this" the man holding Aien's arm replied.

It slowly dawned on Aien what was going on, and what these men where hinting at. She threw around a bit of magic again, but was sure these guys where just humans. Stupid, horrible, humans. Her mind was fuzzy, but she wasn't intoxicated enough that she couldn't defend herself. They were still speaking, discussing something about 'turns' that made her blood run cold, when Aien protested maybe a little too loudly "you really don't want to do this."

"Why?" the man holding her sounded amused, his voice a lot gruffer than it had been in the bar "because your brothers will get us? They're not around, like I said, good thing."

Then he pulled her against him hard, hand gripping her other arm in the same spot as his other hand, and his lips found her ear as he ground himself against her. Aien's lip curled back in distaste and she considered just teleporting out of there. Unfortunately the human had quite a grip and if she did teleport he'd end up going with her, and she didn't have the power to teleport with companions without knocking herself unconscious. She didn't fancy being unconscious in his presence.

Instead she threw her head back and felt pain blossom her skull as the man's nose crunched wetly and she stamped on his foot for good measure. He screamed in pain and reeled backwards while Aien threw herself forward. Of course that lead to her being surrounded by the rest of the men, but she kept a defensive stance (despite the fact she stumbled drunkenly). The man she'd injured pulled his hands from his face to expose a bloodied and obviously broken nose, staring at the blood on his hands with a stunned expression. _Ha, take that dick face!_ Aien thought, right before the man growled "you'll pay for that bitch! Hold her."

She barely had time to react – well she would have reacted faster if she hadn't been drunk – before two men grabbed her. The man with the broken nose slapped her then grabbed her face roughly, pressing his bloodied lips to her is a forced rough kiss. Aien considered trying to bite him but he pulled away to fast in order to give her a sickening smile. "I like it when they fight" he murmured, and she saw him reach down to press on his crotch with his hand.

Aien started to struggle further. She was a hunter for crying out loud, more than that she was an angel-human hybrid created to be a warrior! She was going to let some stupid lustful humans try overpower her? Hell no! Aien growled, a real feral growl a noise of which she hadn't made since Sam, Dean and John Winchester had rescued her from the streets when she was twelve, and struggled with such vigour that her right arm got free. She swung a fist into the face of the man holding her other arm then kicked at the man with the broken nose, who flew back into the wall from the force. Aien felt then the heaviness of her blade – nearly identical to an angel blade if not for the strange markings and black hilt – in her sleeve and considered using it. Only the fact that Sam and Dean might not forgive her if she killed humans stopped her, but the hesitation was enough. The fourth man she'd not accounted took out her legs and Aien crashed to the floor, the man straddled her back to pin her.

With her face pressed into the filthy floor Aien nearly gave up. She found herself cursing her stupid attitude. Why had she left Sam and Dean? Why hadn't she just answered the phone and told them where she was and that she needed a minute? They'd had turned up anyway! She'd probably not be in this situation then. Why had she drank so much? Why was she so goddamned sad that she'd felt the need to drink that much in the first place!? Aien wriggled to try free herself as her thoughts raced and she tried to get free. She couldn't let this happen, because if it did she didn't feel she could face her family again… Sam, Dean, Castiel…

A man's hand began to caress her ass through her tight, torn, jeans. Aien shut her eyes as her thought's race more, her heart rate picking up and her mind seemed to lose any sentient thoughts – which was what she blamed her next action on. If Aien had been able to see herself she would have seen the way when her eyes snapped open the usual storm grey of her iris had lightened to a nearly glowing light. A peaceful calm took over her mind as she stopped struggling suddenly and a man cooed to her "that's a good girl" just as the air in the ally seemed to become charged with static.

The man on her back yelped as a white light seemed to effulge the woman beneath him. He started to rise from her but before he could completely stand something large hit him violently and he felt back into the brick wall and slid down in slumping into unconsciousness. Aien rose as his friends stepped back, the light faded to allow her wings to be seen. They were held aloft behind liker like a threatening bird and she pulled her face into a snarl.

The men were so stunned that it was easy for Aien to attack them, beating them practically to the point of unconsciousness until she was standing above the man with the broken nose who had lead her to the alley. As he stared up at her in fear Aien felt the urge to destroy him completely. With what he had planned to do to her, he was surely evil, and had likely done it before. Even she these thoughts raced through her mind Aien's head tilted and her blade slid into her hand from her sleeve.

Then, before she could even raise the blade to strike, the man beneath her fell unconscious and another hand enclosed around Aien's wrist to stop her.

Aien felt the energy that had overtook her drain as she looked up to see Castiel frowning at her, still holding her wrist. He was wearing the white clothes he had from the hospital but at least the tan overcoat was still in place. He was also giving her a curious frown. Aien felt her wings, held aloft in threat, drop suddenly.

"Castiel?" she frowned, her own voice felt childish.

"Aien" he replied "I was watching the bees, they were fanning the honey tonight, but I heard you call in a voice that felt… wrong. Are you okay?"

Aien didn't even care that Castiel's marbles weren't whole in that second. She threw her arms around him and rested her face in the crook of his neck. He was the only guy she could really do that too, Dean was too tall for her and Sam was like a mountain. "No, I'm not Cas'"

"I don't think Dean would like to know you were fighting humans" he said looking around the alley and back to her. He hadn't moved when she hugged him but she didn't care. She was just trying not to cry. "Why are your wings visible? They're very pretty but I don't think it's a good idea to let them be seen."

Aien let go of Cas and threw a dark look at the humans. "They didn't give be a choice Cas… thank you, for coming that is" still she looked around, sniffing against tears and asked with a frown "were's Meg? I thought she was watching you?"

He tilted his head and ignored her question. "Aien you are upset? Did I say something wrong?"

"No it wasn't you…" Aien threw another glare at the human on the floor between them and Cas looked down at him, and then to Aien. He might be crazy but his eyes tracked the red hand print growing on her cheek, the blood smeared against her mouth and chin and dripping on her clothes… it didn't take a sane angel mind to know that a strong fear must have overcome Aien for her wings to show as they did…

He tapped her head suddenly and they were no longer in the alley. Aien looked around, startled, to find herself in a motel room. She clutched her head suddenly and let out an 'oh!' because teleporting like that so suddenly while intoxicated was not the least bit comfortable. "Where am I Castiel?"

"I believe this is the room where Sam and Dean are staying?"

"Oh" she looked up at him "thank you…"

He said nothing, just watched her with a funny smile on his face. Aien noticed something on his face, reached up and ran a thumb across his cheek. His smile slipped and he stared at her wide-eyed. "Castiel… you have honey on your face" she told him after sniffing the goo, then licking it.

"The bees" he said in response, his eyes getting a faraway look suddenly "I should go find my bees."

Aien nodded, she hadn't expected him to stick around anyway… before losing his marbles even Castiel would have been able to tell what had nearly happened in that alley. She didn't think enlightening him in this state would help his mind so she decided it was best for him to go "you go find your bees then Castiel… I'll see you around, okay?"

"Okay Aien…" he didn't vanish immediately as she expected. "You should visit my bees, you would find them peaceful."

Aien nearly smiled. "Maybe I will."

That seemed to satisfy the angel, he vanished. Just in time, the door handle wiggled and Dean and Sam entered. Unsurprisingly Dean was eating pie. Surprisingly he dropped it when he saw Aien standing in the centre of the room. Her wings where curled close to her body, protectively, like a shimmering silver blanket around her shoulders. Considering she never let people see her wings it was a big indicator of something bad. Besides that her red hair, cut short enough she was sometimes mistaken for a male, was even messier than usual and coated with some oily substance in some places. He same substance was on half her face, which was also smeared with blood – mostly around her mouth – and her clothing hadn't escaped getting coated with various substances either. When she saw them her stormy eyes got damp with unshed tears but she didn't cry. She just stared at them.

"Ohmygod-"Sam was the first to react rushing to Aien's side, arms out like he wanted to grab her but wasn't sure if she was injured.

"What the hell happened?" Dean finally found his voice.

Aien didn't want to tell them. They were protective enough already, she imagined they would be insufferable… but her mouth had plans of its own. She told them everything.

* * *

 _Title from the song 'Lean On Me' by Bill Withers._


	3. BORN ON WINGS OF STEEL

****Fluff Warning****

 **BORN ON WINGS OF STEEL**

Aien sat on the window seat of the Men of Letters bunker Library, her legs bare thanks to the shorts she wore, and a sports bra being the only thing on her chest. She had one knee up to rest her arm and book on while the other kept itching at spots on her wings. Her wings where not hidden today, and hadn't been for a few days. As long as Sam and Dean had been taking care of a werewolf pack in Michigan. They were due back sometime in the next two days and she was taking advantage of the privacy by allowing her very itchy wings to have some air.

She really hated moulting. She supposed it was just something all angels went through, she'd never actually asked any of the angel's she'd met. Usually because she'd been distracted at the time. Another itch came from her wings and this time it wasn't in a place that she could reach. Aien threw down her book – she'd had a hard time concentrating on it anyway – and let out a cry of frustration before yelling "I bloody well hate these stupid things!" as she stood up. Good thing about the Bunker was that most rooms where large, spacy and tidy which for her meant she could stretch her wings a full length. Like she did now, and began to flap like an irritated bird. It was a weird sensation, mostly because she didn't get to do it often. It was like suddenly having four arms. More feathers littered the library floor as she flapped in frustration, but the movement relived most of her itch. At least it was only the last few days of moulting, which was why it was so unbearably itchy, but meant the only feathers that fell from here where the smaller less important ones.

She folded her wings back into her by a fraction, and heard a cough behind her. _Shit, had the boys come home early?_ She never did like to be caught with her wings out… it felt too personal.

She turned and found Castiel standing in the library door staring at her with wide eyes, his mouth open by just a fraction as his gaze raked her silver feathers. Aien sighed "Oh, hey Cas'" for some reason she didn't mind him seeing her wings so much… maybe it was because he had a set of his own.

He continued to stare mouth agape.

"Uh… Castiel?" Aien asked a little louder. Why was he staring so hard? It wasn't like he hadn't seen them before… though she tried hard to forget that night he had seen them. Maybe since it was during the time he'd been quite insane he didn't remember?

He didn't seem to snap out of his staring until Aien walked up to him and snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Yo, angel-face, wake up!" she said with a smile.

Castiel blinked and finally looked at her face with a very slight crease between his brows. "I don't understand, I am awake?"

"Yeah but you kept staring and not answering so I was asking if you'd fallen asleep with your eyes open" she replied with a grin. She loved his cluelessness. It was cute, and she was glad that after everything he'd been through her best friend could still be quite the innocent.

"Well I had not… I was just surprised to walk in on an intimate moment…" he looked a bit embarrassed.

Aien frowned "you didn't want in on an intimate moment Cas."

He frowned too "but… your wings?"

"I'm moulting feathers Cas and it really itches. I was just trying to get rid of that itch because it is driving me absolutely fruit loops crazy!" she paused her miniature rant and looked at Castiel from the side "hey I've never actually asked but do full angels get the moult thing or is it my curse as a hybrid?"

"Oh" Cas said "no, all angels replace their feathers once every hundred years. I am surprised you have had one-"

"-I get one once a year Cas… like a bird" Aien said with an amused raise of her eyebrows.

"Oh…" he looked uncomfortable.

There was a tense moment, and then Aien realised why he might be uncomfortable. "Uh, Cas… why did you think it was an _intimate_ moment?"

The angel shifted uncomfortably on his feet, glanced at her and then away again. "Well… it is uh… normally you see angels only show their wings to, well, people they are intimate with…"

"Oh… _oh_ " Aien's eyes widened, but she couldn't help the wicked smirk that grew on her face. "So this is… is kind of like if you walked in on me in my underwear or something?"

Castiel looked at her face now and said "It would be a better description to say it is similar to my accidentally discovering you nude."

"That bad?"

"Worse actually, I just could not think if a better description. Your wings are an extension if your soul Aien, which is why they are so considered a very intimate part of you…"

"Ah…well… I apologise for making you uncomfortable."

"No its okay, you don't know the formalities of angels" he assured her with a very slight smile.

"Just while we're on the subject, is there anything else I should know?" Aien asked over her shoulder as she made her way back to the window seat of the library. After some hesitation Castiel followed her into the room and perched on the very edge of the seat at the opposite end.

"I don't believe so as you are not actually an angel, in fact your blood is more human than angel even if you do possess some of our abilities-"

"-yeah but I know them then I won't accidentally make _you_ uncomfortable."

He seemed surprised at her reasoning, and shifted uncomfortably again when the tip of Aien's wing accidentally brushed his arm. "Uh, okay" he said "well, it is also considered a high demonstration of trust and intimacy to allow someone to touch your wings as they are very sensitive…" he glanced at her curiously "have you ever let anyone touch your wings?"

Aien cleared her throat "no, I haven't. I mean I was considering asking someone to help me reach this goddamn itch – seriously I'm going crazy – but if that's not supposed to…"

"-Aien, you're not an actual angel and you were raised by humans on earth where there are no rules for wings…" Castiel reminded her with a frown.

Aien stared at him and bit her lip. "Yeah I know that Cas… but you're the only other person in the bunker at the moment, which means if I was to ask someone to help me, it would me you."

Castiel looked alarmed and then turned away from her.

Aien didn't blame him, he was tense enough when Aien hugged him that her asking him to do something considered so intimate by angels was probably very far out of his comfort zone. She fished another book from the floor around the window seat and was about to settle down and start to read again when Cas said in a soft voice, so quiet she almost didn't hear "I'll do it."

Aien nearly dropped her book. "Say what?"

Castiel frowned "What?"

"No" her lips twisted into a smile "I mean repeat what you just said because I'm not sure what you just said."

"Is there something wrong with your ears?"

"No Cas, just say what you said again" she rolled her eyes, smiling softly.

"I said I would do it… if you wished. I know it can be very uncomfortable this moulting, so if it would make you more comfortable I… I am willing…" he wasn't looking at her, his eyes kept darting around the room for anything else to look at.

Aien frowned "but I… I thought that was considered intimate for you? I mean it would probably make you uncomfortable Cas and I wouldn't ask you to be uncomfortable." Even as she spoke an itch appeared on her right wing, the one that kept accidentally brushing Cas's arm, and she bent to try and rub her fingers on the itchy spot but couldn't reach.

Castiel noticed her, but she wasn't watching him, which meant she was surprised when suddenly his fingertips put pressure on the spot that was itching and he began to rub very lightly on the soft silvery feathers. Aien cast the angel beside her a glance to make sure he was okay, but he was watching her with a kind of curiosity. She gave him a shy smile, which he returned after a second, and seemed to encourage him to increase the pressure on Aien's wing. He rubbed in a circle and Aien sighed into his touch feeling the first real relief of the itching for over a week.

Castiel turned so he could reach her better, his eyes still watching her for any sign that she wanted him to stop, but the only look she gave him was an encouraging smile so he continued. Aien turned so her back was to him more, her wings seemed to stretch out of their own accord to allow Castiel access to a larger surface area. Seeing her wings spread seemed to boost Cas's confidence and he started to mirror his actions on the other wing with his spare hand – making Aien moan. She opened her eyes again when the sound left her mouth, surprised, and Castiel froze in his actions.

"Uh… sorry" she mumbled shifting a little uncomfortably. "I just didn't expect it to feel so… nice?" It was more than nice, it felt fantastic. Like a massage on muscles like rock. Or that first breathe of air after holding your breath underwater, or…well, like sex. Which was an odd thought.

Castiel didn't say anything for a few minutes and Aien thought that he would leave, so she was pleasantly surprised when he asked "would you like me to stop?"

She thought about it, worrying her lip. "No, please continue. This is the best I've felt in weeks."

With that little encouragement Castiel's hands started to move amongst her feathers again, a little more firmly, and he even started to remove the looser feathers that had not yet fallen and where causing her irritation. Aien managed to keep any more awkward noises, right up until his hands reached the spot on her shoulders where the feathers turned fluffier and the wings joined her back. He curled his hand so his fingertips where pressing into the underside of the joint while the ball of his hand and the thumb pressed into the back. Aien couldn't help but gasp and muttered "fuck…" and this time Cas didn't stop.

Well he didn't stop until a familiar voice asked "is this some kind of freaking angel sex thing?"

Castiel's hands dropped from her immediately and he stared at Dean with wide eyes. The oldest Winchester was standing in the library door, his shirt was ripped but there was no blood or scratches on the exposed skin, but he was glaring between Castiel and Aien. While the angel was clueless understanding exactly why Dean was reacting like that and not with the humour he might have used if he'd caught Sam and someone in that kind of position Aien knew exactly what was going on.

Ever since her attack all those months ago Dean's already overprotective big brother role towards her had gone up by at least a thousand points. It would be almost suffocating if it wasn't kind of adorable at the same time. Sam was no different. Apparently this overprotective attitude even extended to the angel they considered family.

Aien decided to save Castiel from having Dean tear him a new one. "Don't be stupid Dean, Cas was just helping me out with the stupid wing thing." She said with a roll of her eyes "looks like that werewolf nearly got your heart though, did the hunt go that badly without me?"

Dean scoffed and dropped his bag to the floor, then eyed the pair in the window seat again. He looked like he was about to say something else when Sam suddenly appeared from down the hall, saw Aien and Cas and nodded to them. "I told you he'd be with Aien" he suddenly said to Dean.

"Yeah thanks for coming back to tell us she was fine Cas" Dean said voice thick with sarcasm.

Cas shifted uneasily "I was… distracted."

Dean snorted "Yes I _saw_ that."

Sam frowned "what'd you see?"

" _Nothing_ " Aien growled and glared "Dean's just overreacting because Cas was helping me out with itchy wings."

"Didn't look like that from where I was standing."

"Yeah but your always standing with your mind – in the gutter." Aien fired back.

Sam gave his brother a look "she's right. Porn has permanently damaged you so you can no longer distinguish between reality and porn."

"Told ya" Aien said standing, her feathers fluffed like a bird and more bits of fluff littered the floor around her drawing everyone's eyes. "I'll clean those later, just let me go shower" she sighed, the water always soothed her wings during moults.

No one spoke until they had heard the bathroom door down the hall shut. Dean looked at Cas. "Dude, that's my fricking sister."

"Dean" Sam frowned at him.

"No wait Sam-" Dean held up a hand to stop the younger brother and Sam gave the angel an 'you're on your own' look. "-look Cas, I know you and Aien have a… well a thing. I don't know what it is, but I just want you to remember that she can be a bit delicate after that attack."

Castiel – who had been watching Dean with a wide eyed innocent expression (something Sam wondered if he'd done deliberately or not) – suddenly scowled and stood, hands clenching "what attack?" he asked, his voice a few octaves lower than it usually was.

Dean and Sam frowned – they'd assumed the angel remembered – but before they could reply Aien suddenly re-entered the room and scowled at them. "Alright which one of you used the last of my shampoo?" she asked holing up the bottle accusingly.

Dean and Sam paled a little knowing she was weirdly protective of her shampoo (they supposed it was a girl thing). "Must've been Sam and his luscious locks" Dean said hurriedly trying to exit the room.

"I-what?-no!" Sam protested with wide eyes trying to put a desk chair between Aien and himself.

Aien, trying not to laugh at their scared reactions, threw Castiel a wink.

* * *

 _Title based on the song Icarus (Born on Wings of Steel) by Kansas_


	4. VAMPIRES WILL NEVER HURT YOU

**VAMPIRES WILL NEVER HURT YOU**

Sam and Dean sat in a bar drinking beers that where, unfortunately, warm even though they had just come out of a fridge. Sam gave the bottle a disgusted look at both taste and temperature but Dean didn't seem to mind, he was too busy watching Aien for signs of distress.

"Dude will you calm down?" Sam scolded him slightly, understanding of the oldest brothers protective attitude but unable to stand the tense leg jumping of Dean beside him. "She knows what she'd doing, and if she didn't _want_ to do this she would have just told us."

"Wanting to do this and being able to do this are two different things Sammy" Dean said irritably as he drank more of the disgusting beer.

Sam rolled his eyes and looked over at Aien. She didn't appear distressed in the least, though he knew the smile she wore was fake. "Dean you're starting to get as bad as Cas when he hunts with us" he said as a final attempt to get Dean to calm down. It seemed to work because the oldest Winchester's eyes widened and turned to his brothers 'I told you so' expression. Out of all of them, even though Castiel didn't seem to remember the attack Aien nearly suffered, he was still the most protective one of their little group. He'd always insist that Aien took the safest part of the hunt – although it never seemed to work out that way and she would end up inexplicably in the centre of the danger with no idea how she got there. Sam and Dean liked to joke that if they just turned up in a town with a hunt Aien would just attract whatever it was to her with minimal effort required.

There was a flutter of wings as if the mere mention of his name was enough to bring him to them now and said angel appeared at their table. No one in the bar seemed to notice. He didn't greet the brothers, he looked around with interest at their surroundings, checking for danger, and instead found Aien sitting across the bar with a group of men. The men looked out of place in the dismal surroundings – even Castiel could see that – wearing suits that must have been more expensive that this whole building. Of course this was the only bar in the small town at the moment so they'd been forced here. They were a rowdy bunch, loud and disruptive to the other clientele in the bar (which considering the state of the beers was surprisingly crowded) though two of them had their sights keenly set of Aien.

Aien, despite the smile on her face, was not enjoying this. The brothers had picked up a case a few days ago, most of the townsfolk seemed to inexplicably turning into vampires. They'd caught a newly turned their first night and tried to question the nest location from her confident that the recruiting vampire would be in the nest… funny thing was the new vampire had been adamant that she hadn't drank any blood, or had any contact with blood or even contact with other vampires until she was turned. What she had done – and Sam was the one who realised – was read the passage of an ancient book that had been donated to a private museum display in the town a few days ago. Dean managed to lure and capture two more new vampires who shared the same story. The book was the only obvious dominating factor, which meant they had to get it… and the museum was only open to a private function for the next two weeks. They'd already tried to break in, and Dean had nearly become Rottweiler chow.

After that – and the fact the people they spoke to about the function where rather rude to him – Dean was tempted to let them read from the book and turn, but he'd stopped thinking like that when Aien threatened to cut off his pie supply.

Castiel frowned when he saw Aien between the two men who looked at her with relaxed features and expressions of interest. He'd never seen her wearing a dress before, normally she always wore a pair of jeans, a tank top and a shirt she had stolen from one of her brothers. Right now she was wearing a simple yet elegant sky blue summer dress that showed off her pale legs. In the right light the shine of pale scars was visible too.

"What is Aien doing?" he asked as he laughed – even he knew it was a fake laugh, it had none of the cheeriness her laugh usually had – and she pushed at the man leaning on her gently.

"Putting our acting to shame" Dean answered the angel in a grumble.

Castiel gave him the 'I don't understand' look.

Sam elaborated "she is… flirting her way into a ticket to a museum where we need to destroy a book that is turning people into vampires somehow…"

The angel frowned "why do you not just break into this museum?"

Dean rolled up his sleeve to show Cas his bandaged arm "because they have really big dogs" he growled.

"And Aien tried to teleport inside, but the museum is the nest. We wouldn't allow her to get the book without us. Last count was at least fifteen vampires in this nest." Sam added with a grumble.

Aien stood suddenly, gave another fake flirtatious laugh, and threw a look over to her brothers before she exited the bar tucking something into the purse she'd been forced to wear as a part of her costume. Dresses always felt like costumes to her. The boys got her message, and while Dean finished his beer before following her Sam was more than happy to leave the bottle of disappointment behind. They met her outside at the Impala.

"Well?" Dean asked.

Aien was trying to hold the skirt of her dress to her legs, the wind had picked up and was trying to lift her skirt, and looked at the boys. "Not only did I get my own ticket with a plus one-"she pulled out what she had tucked into her purse "I also managed to lift the ticket of Sir gropes-a-lot in there" she passed the boys the tickets.

"When did you do that?" Sam frowned.

Aien just winked, before she turned to the angel who'd appeared to them. She hadn't seen Castiel in a few weeks, and after the wing incident Dean had seemed to fight between never leaving them under is supervision and leaving them to 'get it on'. Still the last time she had seen Cas he'd been going on a demon job with the boys while she looked into a few disappearances just a few miles away from the bunker. Her case had turned out to be nothing but kids who made a pact to run away together – she gave them a stern 'your life is not as crap as you think it is' speech – and the boys had more success, though they'd returned without the angel.

"Hey Cas" she greeted him with her usual grin "just in time for a vampire rodeo roundup or are you visiting?"

Castiel looked at the boys for help with a reply but they stared at him with carefully blank faces – Aien figured that must have hurt them to do – and finally the angel replied "I… can stay. To help. If you need?" still glancing at Sam and Dean as if for permission.

"In a nest this big we can use all the help we could get" Sam was the one to reassure the angel, getting into the passenger seat of the Impala as Dean slipped into the drivers. Aien winked at them all, getting into the back as Cas just appeared in the back seat without using the door. Aien considered that lazy and tutted at him.

As they where driving to the motel Sam was reading the details of the ticket Aien had gotten them and turned ot her suddenly "this is a black-tie event" he said.

"So?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Well… Dean and I have suits but and Cas is never out of his but…" Dean had realised what Sam was getting too and dreaded it. Aien had grouched for hours about just wearing a sundress after all.

"You need another dress" Sam told her calmly "a formal one."

Aien sat in silence for a second "oh _goddamitt_ " she growled, before taking the credit card that Sam had held out to her – she saw him was trying to hide his grin and resisted smacking him with the credit card – before she vanished from the car with the sound of fluttering wings barely audible over the purr of the Impala's engine.

Aien had reappeared in her motel room a few hours after the boys sent her dress shopping. It made her smile the thought that a normal person would probably be overjoyed at the idea of her brothers giving her a credit card and telling her to go dress shopping. Not Aien. Dresses, while they might be nice, left her feeling vulnerable with nearly nowhere to hide her weapons.

In the end she chose a dress that made her feel good, and matched a purse that she could hide her weapons in. Not as convenient as having a weapon _on_ her but it was something.

In the motel she started to dress. At some point while putting on makeup – during which she poked herself in the eye several times with a mascara brush – the boys came into her room. She could hear Dean griping about bow ties and yelled something at him about backless bra's which made him lower his voice to a near inaudible mumble. She didn't come out of the bathroom until she has slipped her feet into a pair of high heeled shoes, comfortable enough that she could still run in them, and even then she was uncomfortably self-conscious of herself.

Especially when the boys just stared at her.

She admitted the dress was… a bit promiscuous. But she had figured it she had to wear a dress she may as well feel good in it even if it was a bit wanton. It was red in colour, the same dark shade as her short hair (which had been styled in a more elegant mess rather than the unruly mess it usually was) and clung to her waist and chest and arms. It was backless, showing off her tattoo with was practically liquid ink on her pale complexion, and the long skirt was slit up both sides allowing her pale legs to show. The lack of fabric on her dress also showed off her scars, though none of them where very visible unless caught in a certain light. Even if people did see it would only help her be a 'distraction'. On these kinds of hunts that was always her role. Distraction. It was also conveniently why she'd chosen a dress the colour of blood – how else to attract a vampire?

"Uh…" Dean appeared speechless as he looked away.

"No words? Finally a way to silence Dean Winchester" Aien grinned.

Dean threw her a withering glance "smart-ass" he growled at her before clearing his throat louder and said "okay this is the plan. Aien, you'll be a-"

"-distraction?" she guessed with a roll of her eyes.

"-what'd I just say? Smart ass! Anyway, Sam and I will sneak away from the main party and find the book. Cas-"Dean turned to the angel "I want you on vampire alert okay?"

"Of course."

As they made their way to the party Dean made everyone go through a weapons check. Aien assured them she had two blades in her purse (even going as far as to poke Dean with one) though they probably wouldn't decapitate a vampire and her dress had not been the kind to allow her personal blade – the one similar to an angel blade – to be brought with her. She felt like she left her kidney behind. The boys obviously had far better weapons on them, which she grouched at.

When they entered and Aien saw the man whose ticket she'd stolen for Sam and Dean getting kicked out she didn't feel guilty in the least. He should have learned not to keep touching her as he did. She looked around the party, immediately felt out of place, and turned around to the boys only to find that Dean had managed to stuff his mouth with entrée's already. Even Sam looked impressed and he and Aien exchanged a grin.

"Dude that must be a record, does food just magnetically attract to you?" Aien grinned at Dean.

"Yea" he replied only just managing to swallow "just like women" he winked, then turned serious. "Okay, we're going to find this book. You… wander around and try look appetizing _without_ getting bitten."

"Sir, yes sir!" she gave him a mock salute and, putting on her fake smile, walked into the crowed of elegant people.

An hour later Sam and Dean hadn't returned and Aien was getting antsy. People kept asking her to dance – she was sure they were humans – and while she was flattered she refused. The music wasn't her taste either, she was open to all genres (which lead to her and Dean fighting a bit, even after she heard him signing Disney) but there was always a good drum beat missing in classical that she just couldn't overlook.

She was hiding in the shadow of a pillar when Castiel suddenly appeared at her elbow. She'd seen him several times the past hour, usually watching her across the room before he'd vanish again probably to find Sam and Dean. She felt a bit sorry for him having to babysit them all. "Aien?" he asked, gravelly voice making her jump.

"Holy crap on a cracker" she exclaimed in a whisper hand flying to her pounding heart. Apparently the knowledge that this room was crawling with vampires she couldn't detect was playing with her nerves. "Cas you scared the bloody crap out of me."

"I apologise" he said sincerely "but I was concerned when I saw you hiding rather than distracting…"

Aien grinned at him "angel-face there is nothing more distracting than the scarred stranger who doesn't accept a dance but flirts like hell. I just needed a break."

"Oh" he replied. Aien expected him to vanish again, and when he didn't she looked over her shoulder to frown at him. Had he stepped closer while her back was turned?

"Cas?"

"I… I was wondering-"he frowned "about your back?"

Aien frowned too, mildly confused. "My tattoo?"

"Yes" he nodded once "I just wish to know why you felt it necessary to have someone tattoo wings onto your back?"

Aien glanced over her shoulder at the inky black outline of feathers on her skin. It had caused more than one man that night to call her 'angel' which made her roll her eyes… she looked away from him before she replied. "Because when I was a kid I hated who and what I was. Then after I met Sam and Dean and their dad I started to accept it… after I saved their lives I got the tattoo, because if I wasn't what I was then I wouldn't have been able to save them. I decided to embrace it, and give myself a pair of wings that could always be seen."

"Oh."

Aien glanced back and saw his confused expression "have you never hated being an angel?" she asked to try help him understand.

His eyes widened and his expression darkened a little "yes."

"But you accepted what you are, because that's who you are, but it doesn't dictate your actions?"

He looked at her again, still with a dark expression "yes, I understand now."

Aien turned her attention back to the crowd, a little worried that maybe she'd gotten Cas a bit too personal. Her keen eyes then noticed the way six people were met by a woman in a flourishing gold dress who whispered something and they vanished through a side door. She tapped Cas on the chest with her hand – he had definably moved closer – and nodded to make sure he'd noticed what she saw. His eyes narrowed and he nodded, before she could do much more he'd teleported them (she assumed to the place they'd seen the people vanish) and after a little disorientation (she kept telling him just because she could teleport too it didn't mean side along rides didn't affect her too) she pulled one of the pathetic blades from her purse and began to check doors down the hall. They were all closed so she pressed her ear to the wood first before trying to open them. Somewhere locked, but some opened into rooms with extravagant artworks on the walls. No wonder it was taking Sam and Dean a while to find the right book.

Eventually she came to a door and heard noise behind it. She waved a hand at Cas and he came to stand at the wall beside her, his angel blade ready. Aien opened the door with a measured force making sure it was silent and both she and Castiel looked around the door. Aien's eyes widened and she shut the door fast, nearly knocking Castiel out as she did so.

They stood in the hallway in silence for a second. Aien was simultaneously trying not to laugh and vomit.

"That woman…." Cas said suddenly, even his hushed voice was rumbling and seemed to echo around the hall.

"Don't!" Aien cut him off "I'm trying to block the memory…"

"But she-"

"Cas, seriously, don't say anything right now" she didn't know if he'd have questions, and she certainly didn't want to be the one to answer them if he did. That would be weird. "Let's just find Sam and Dean…"

Castiel looked hesitant, but he nodded and before she could protest he had teleported them again.

Into a room of vampires.

The book was on the floor just a few inches out of reach of Dean who was pinned to the floor by a vampire who looked like steroids where his only meals. Besides the liquid one that was. Sam was in a similar position but with a more average looking vampire. They'd both looked up at the sound of fluttering wings and stared at Aien and Castiel's stunned expressions.

"Really? Cas left you alone for maybe fifteen minutes" Aien said looking at Dean.

"What can I say?" Dean replied irritably as he wriggled "it must be magic- oh, dude, that better be your _knee_ in my back!"

Aien sighed, she would have laughed but now wasn't the time, and looked at one of the vampires standing in between the boys. The other's seemed to be looking at him for direction since Cas and she had appeared so she assumed he was the one in charge of the nest. "Look I kind of need my brothers back so if you could order your minions to just… let them up, that'd be just dandy."

The vampire smiled like she amused him "no, we don't take kindly to hunters, and your scents where all over the bodies of three we lost this week. We don't forgive murder."

"Your little newbies had killed seven people between them" Aien growled.

"Survival of the fittest isn't a fair game" the vampire shot back, and his eyes flickered.

Aien took hat flicker as a sign and turned, slashing at a vampire who'd tried to sneak up on her. Her knife wasn't enough to behead him, but it slit his throat and being new the vampire panicked holding the wound like it would kill him. Cas beside her however had already managed ot behead two vampires before he turned and held something out to her.

Her blade, the one that was near identical to his only with a black handle.

She took it thankfully, her arm feeling complete as soon as its hilt was in her hand and finished beheading the vampire who'd tried grabbing her. When they'd killed chaos seemed to ensue, the vampires broke ranks to attack. Even the ones holding Sam and Dean had gotten distracted enough that the brothers fought free and after retrieving their weapons from the head vampire had begun beheading too with a ferocity that only came out on a hunt. It wasn't a pretty activity and they were getting drowned in blood, but Aien couldn't help grinning at the angel beside her. "Cas why did you bring my blade?"

"For your protection" he answered, kicking a vampire against the wall where Dean swung round and decapitated it.

Aien's grin increased even as she was grabbed from behind by a vamp, pinning her arms to her side until she bit him (she ignored that irony) and he loosened his grip enough for her to wriggle out and stab his stomach. He clutched that wound and while he was distracted she removed his head. "Sometimes I absolutely adore you angel-face" she replied to Castiel.

"That's just so fucking adorable" Dean suddenly growled at them "but if you two don't mind we're kind of in the middle of a goddam massacre?"

"Right" Aien chose to put her head back in the task. It didn't take long for the vampires to fall. Most of them had been new after all, with only the head vampire being the oldest. Even then he'd stayed in the room trying to order his nest to stand down, desperately yelling, until Sam had killed him. They stood in the room panting and covered in blood, adrenaline surging through their bodies making them look around for another opponent. When none came, the music from the party downstairs being the only noise beside their panting breaths, Sam moved to pick up the bloodied book. "Well take this back to the bunker" he said "so it can't be sold on or anything…"

"Yeah" Dean muttered, running a hand through his hair and looking horrified when it came out covered in blood. "After we get back to the motel and shower."

The brothers look at Cas, who understood immediately and tapped them on the head vanishing to the motel. Aien followed, but on her own teleporting juice. It wasn't nearly as disorientating, and she could appear in her own motel room before one of the boys tried to break in and use her shower before she got a turn.

Ten minutes later she sincerely regretted not letting one of the boy's use her showed first.

She turned under the hot spray to wash the blood from her face, smiling under the water until she felt a little paranoid and opened her eyes. She wished she hadn't. A monster of a spider was sitting on the wall just above the shower head. Aien knew her eyes were like saucers as she stared, suddenly frozen.

It _jumped_ on her.

Aien let out a noise, not quite a scream or a yell, and threw herself backwards trying to keep out of reach of those hairy legs. Her feet slipped on the floor of the bathtub and though she held out her arms to try save herself Aien fell into tub below with a thud, ripping the shower curtain down as she went.

"Aien, are you alright?" a voice asked from above and she let out another yell. Castiel was standing in the bathroom frowning over her. "I heard you yell" he said to explain the question in her eyes.

Aien remembered the spider suddenly and jumped out of the tub like a cat getting baptized, making sure to keep the white shower curtain wrapped around herself, looking for the eight legged assassin. Castiel seemed confused, but turned off the shower like nothing happening around him was a big deal. He did ask "Aien what's wrong?" though.

"Spider" was all she managed to say, eyes looking around wildly.

Cas frowned "You are… afraid of them?" he said slowly "arachnophobia is common amongst humans…"

"Yes, terrified, if you tell the other two I'll have to kill you" her threat didn't sound very good, not with her voice stark with fear.

Cas advanced on her suddenly and Aien froze looking around the bathroom. She was suddenly very aware that a thin piece of plastic was all that stopped her being naked in the presence of the angel and it made her self conscious. Especially with the way he was looking at her, eyes dark and determined. She found herself taking an involuntary step back at his advance. When he stood right in front of her, almost close enough to get his coat and shirt wet from the curtain around her, Aien held her breath not sure what to expect.

What she didn't expect was for Cas to suddenly bend a little, his hand falling heavily on her side. He stayed like that for a second before he pulled away and stepped back holding his hand in front of him.

Aien baulked at the spider walking across his skin. _Oh god that was on me_ , she kept thinking, nearly vomiting.

Cas took another step back at her obvious discomfort. "I find it amusing" he said, and she saw a slight tug on his lips "that a hunter, one who had just been beheading vampires, is afraid of such a small creature."

"That is not small" Aien growled. Cas seemed to ignore her and continued to allow the spider to crawl up his sleeve. "Castiel" she said, breaking his gaze on the spider "I love you, I really do, but if you don't get that spider out of here right now I'm going to have to kill you both."

He looked amused, but vanished in a flutter again. Aien took that moment to switch from shower curtain to dry herself off and change into a pair of loose cotton shorts and one of Dean's old band shirts that had a hole in the shoulder. When the angel returned she wasn't in the bathroom anymore, and she gave him a wary once over to make sure the spider wasn't sitting on him like some kind of creepy pet. He still looked amused.

"Before you tell me how weird it is to scared of spiders you should know Sam is petrified of clowns and Dean is scared of flying so let us have our phobias. They aren't causing a problem… unless we have to fight a spider clown on an aeroplane, then we'll have a problem."

"I cannot foresee such a hunt but if something like that should arise I will be happy to take care of it for you" the angel said, amused smile slipping from his face to be replaced with a very serious one. "I believe your phobia is quite… endearing?"

Aien frowned at him "endearing?" she asked sure she heard him right.

"I believe that is the word" the angel nodded.

"Oh… so you don't think it's weird?"

"I do, but I almost find it endearing."

She frowned at him. He was an odd angel, but then again that was his charm. She decided to make no more comments and lay down on the bed. She looked at the dress lay on the table, still covered in blood, but it was barely visible matching the colour so well. "I can't decide if that dress is ruined" she said "I suppose I'll know once I try to wash it."

Castiel looked at the dress too. "The blood is… at least it is not visible?"

"Yeah" she sighed "I can't see myself wearing it again mind. It's a very elegant dress and let's face it, I am in no way elegant."

"I believe you are very elegant."

Aien lifted her head and gave the angel an odd look. "Castiel I believe your seeing things. Did you damage your head when you fell?"

Cas gave her a funny look "falling was painful but I believe I am fully functioning."

She laughed softly "No, I mean you must be seeing things because I'm not elegant. I far prefer those hunts where we dig around in dirty places for monsters and I don't have to dress up. Much more comfortable that that dress. It felt so weird having all that skin exposed. Can't deny that I felt pretty awesome though."

There was a pause. "I believe you looked very beautiful tonight" Cas said softly.

Aien sat up, looking at him. If it had been Dean or even Sam who said that she'd be tempted to believe it was an obligatory compliment from brothers to make her feel good about herself. But if there was one thing she could count on from Cas it was honesty with things like her looks. He was the kind of clueless angel who if asked by a woman 'does this make my butt look fat?' he'd probably answer 'yes'. So she let him see her vulnerable side, just that once. "Really?"

"Yes."

Aien looked back at the dress as an excuse to look away from the angel. "Thanks Cas."

"You don't need to thank me for the truth."

She smiled, unable to stop feeling a little self-conscious as well as pleased by his words, and began to play with the hem of her shirt. There was a silence over them – until Dean suddenly entered the room chewing a burger. "Thought you'd be here" he said once he swallowed, throwing himself on the bed beside Aien.

Sam took a more polite seat at the table and threw a packets burger at Aien, who caught it swiftly. "We wanted to know if you fancied heading back to the bunker tonight or stop for a rest and go in the morning?"

"I'm not fussed" Aien said taking a bite of burger.

"That was a great deciding answer" Dean mumbled before he looked at Aien "so what took you and feather-butt over there so long to join the party back there?"

It took Aien a second to remember what she had seen in the museum but when she did she inhaled her burger, choking slightly, and was unable to say anything as she caught and spluttered nearly crying. Sam and Dean looked bewildered until Cas said "we saw a woman…" and then he looked a bit lost and stared at Aien who'd begun giggling.

"You saw a woman? I fail to see how that's tickling her funny bone" Dean was frowning.

"She was…" Castiel still looked a bit lost.

"I spotted a group leaving the party and thought they were vampires" Aien finally managed to gasp, eyes still burning with tears.

"And?" Sam prompted frowning.

"Let's just say they weren't vampires so much as they were a small group of individuals going for their own party…"

Dean suddenly broke out into a grin "and here I was thinking those snobs didn't know how to have fun, I was at the wrong party."

Sam was looking amused too "and you… you _saw_?"

"Yes" Castiel was the one who answered.

Dean looked like he'd just been told the best joke in the world "wait, you walked in on an orgy – I can believe that with Aien because she like attracts weird shit – but you walked in on an orgy with an angel?"

"Yes" Cas looked like he didn't understand Dean questioning this so much.

Dean was still grinning "see anything you liked?"

"Dean!" Aien punched him on the shoulder.

But Castiel shifted uncomfortably on his feet and looked away. Dean sat forward with interest "you _did_ , didn't you?"

Castiel didn't answer, still looking uncomfortable, his blue gaze met Aien's sympathetic grey one before he vanished in a flutter of feathers. He left behind Dean who kept yelling about making him talk until Sam threw the first thing he could find at him, which happened to be the motel remote.

* * *

 _Title from the song 'Vampires Will Never Hurt You' by My Chemical Romance_

I admit not much fluff or relationship-y stuff, more focused on the hunt. Next chapter will definitely be... more.


	5. MY WAY HOME IS THROUGH YOU

**My Way Home Is Through You**

A lazy day in the bunker was just what the three Winchesters needed. It was a few days after they had gotten back from the vampire thing, so Sam was sitting in the library trying to figure out exactly why the book was turning people into vampires. Aien had to admit she was curious too, she'd even wondered if the pages perhaps where dusted with some kind of venom or hell even vampire blood which was why Sam was wearing gloves as he probed the pages.

Aien and Dean on the other hand where going through an old chest of things they'd found under table at the back of the library. They'd found a funky old mask in there at one point that Dean had been about to put on until Aien found what was probably supposed to be the label for it. Apparently the mask could possess people. Dean had quickly dropped the mask, going through other objects, and Aien had made sure to reattach the table to the mask for future reference.

Dean picked up a cube, small enough to fit in his hand, and frowned at it. "What the hell is this?" he frowned shaking it near his ear in case it had anything inside.

Aien snatched it from him and held it delicately, like it might be a bomb "you're going to kill us someday Winchester" she growled at him, looking at the cube herself.

"You know what it is then?" Sam asked from across the table, though he hadn't actually looked up from the book.

"No, but these symbols are Enochian I'm sure of it" she showed Dean the symbols etched into the surface of the box.

"How do you know Enochian?"

"I asked Cas to teach me that time I broke my leg…"

Dean rolled his eyes and muttered something like 'it would be Cas' but Aien ignored him. Louder he asked "can you read what it says?"

"Uh… I can try?" she frowned "here, hold it like that" she pushed it until his hands so she could see all the symbols, tilting it slightly with her hand on the cubes bottom so she could "I… I think it says _Zimii_ -"

Light flashed around Aien and Dean, making Sam who hadn't been paying them much attention jump up from where he stood scrambling for the knife that had been set on the table. He didn't keep weapons as close in the bunker, with so many wards against so many Supernaturals he felt safe enough, but in that second he had assumed he was under attack. The light became blinding enough that he had to cover his eyes and once it had dimmed he looked around, tense.

Dean and Aien where gone, the cube left rattling on the floor where it had been dropped.

Dean and Aien landed on a hard floor with a 'thump' and groans of protest.

"Aien what the hell was that?" Dean groaned struggling to pull himself up.

"I don't know all I did was read what was on the box" she groaned too sitting up and stretching "damn my ass is going to feel this tomorrow…" she looked around and, to her surprise, found people giving her and Dean curious looks. "Uh… hey?" she waved, only three of the twelve people around them waved back, most of them where hurrying around talking into headsets. Friendly bunch.

One however came over to Dean looking at him a little warily "uh… do you need some help Mr Ackles?" the young man – he couldn't have been much older than nineteen – asked.

"What? No I- wait" Dean was giving the boy a stare "what did you just call me?"

"M-mr Ackles?" the man stuttered.

"Oh…oh you have got to be freaking kidding me!" Dean growled and swung around to glare at Aien before turning back to the boy "I'm fine, you can stop wetting your pants and get out of here." He didn't speak to Aien again until the boy had run off. Even then he grabbed Aien by the arm and dragged her behind a trailer where no one could see them. It was about this time that Aien came to realise they were on some kind of movie set.

"What the hell's going on?" she asked "what did that kid call you Mr Ackles?"

"You remember when you went to take care of those demonic omens in Idaho and when you came back Sam and I told you how the angels had sent us to another dimension? One where our lives where a TV show?" Dean asked in a hushed voice, pushing her further behind the trailer as someone walked past the gap.

"And I said it was like if Chuck had gotten a movie deal?"

"I think we're back somewhere like that again… might even be the same universe. Anyway in that universe everyone we knew was an actor. Cas, me, Sam… I was some dude called Jensen Ackles and Sam was Jared Pala-something-or-other…"

"Oh… what was Cas's name?"

Dean suddenly broke out into a grin "Misha."

"You're kidding, right?" Aien was grinning too.

"No" he cleared his throat suddenly "but anyway. One, this is totally your fault for reading the symbols, and two, we just have to lie low until Sam can get us back to our universe."

"Alright, lie low… shouldn't be too hard right? We'll just avoid everyone on the set?" they had reached the other end of the gap between the trailers and Aien had poked her head out to take a look around. "Oh this is _really_ weird" she said, which made Dean nearly knock her over so that he could take a look too.

Dean frowned "Isn't that…?"

"That's the church where Sam killed Lilith… or at least it's the _set_ of the church where Sam killed Lilith…"

Dean yanked Aien back into the gap between the trailers and looked thoughtful for a second. "That means this universe is a bit slower than ours…"

"Or we've travelled in time too?"

"Can we limit the complicated explanations please?"

"Sorry, slow universe, got it."

Something else dawned on Dean then, and he gave Aien a concerned look before asking "uh… are you feeling very angel-y?"

"What?"

"Last time Virgil followed us, and when he tried to go all angel-y he didn't have any powers…"

Aien's eyes widened and she thought about it, reaching within herself to that place where there was always a bit of magic, mostly used for hiding her wings. In a last ditch attempt she shut her eyes and tried to teleport to the other end of the trailer gap, but when she opened them she was still standing before Dean. "Oh… oh I don't like this…. Oh…" her heart began to race "Oh I feel like I've had an arm chopped off…."

"Hey, whoa, don't start losing your cool on me now" Dean gripped her shoulders gently giving her a shake "I need you alert Aien, you with me?"

"Yea, yeah I'm with you" she met his gaze "Sam had better get us out of this soon."

Back at the bunker Sam was sitting on the floor holding the cube in his hand and praying to Castiel. After all he didn't understand what most of the symbols means on the box and after Aien read it and vanished he wasn't inclined to read anything would the angel's help. After all if he vanished too who would be around that knew what happened and could try to help?

Still Castiel hadn't answered his prayers in the last hour, what more could he do? He'd tried to phone the angel too and left three voicemails that he doubted he'd get.

Sam sighed and decided to try just one more time. "Castiel…" he said both out loud and in his head "look, I get that you might be busy but I'm praying to you because Dean and Aien are missing and I have no idea how to read Enochian symbols and I'm worried something bad has happened."

There was a rush of wings and Castiel appeared in the centre of the library. He looked around and spotted Sam on the floor, who was scowling at him. "Really?" he asked "I've been praying to you for the last hour!"

"I apologise, but last time you and Dean prayed to me as vaguely as 'we need you' you simply wanted a drinking companion and I did not find the games you played that night enjoyable" said the angel, frowning at the memory.

Okay, thought Sam, that was a good enough reason to avoid vague prayers. Still he'd heard that Cas could sense distress in peoples prayers and he was certainly distressed. He decided not to confront him on it anyway, there were bigger issues at hand. He put the cube on the table where Cas could see it. "Aien and Dean where looking through this trunk and found this. Aien read the inscription and they vanished in white light."

Curious and looked a little worried Castiel picked up the cube and rolled it in his hand. "Where they touching the cube when she read the inscription?"

"I wasn't looking but I think so?"

Castiel nodded thoughtfully. "Good news is, they are not dead" he said.

"And the bad news?" Sam dreaded to ask.

Cas frowned "there is no bad news, only good. It is simple really, you remember when Balthazar sent you and Dean to an alternate reality to distract Raphael?"

"Yeah?"

"I believe Aien and Dean have gone to another alternate reality… it may not be the same one, there are many after all. It will take a little longer to return them to our reality, but essentially they should be fine."

"Alright" Sam sighed and all the pent up tension that he'd built while thinking of the worst possible scenarios released suddenly. "What will you need?"

Aien tried to walk in a relaxed manner like Dean was, but people kept waving and saying hello and she was nervous she'd get something wrong. It didn't help that she felt horribly bear without her wings or magic. It was like that dream where you're nude in the middle of school.

Dean was far more relaxed as he walked through the rows of trailers searching for the one labelled 'Jensen'. He'd decided that, like last time, they could just hide out in 'his' trailer until Sam got them back home. He waved and smiled but when people weren't looking his face dropped into a worried and annoyed expression.

"I think I would be a bit more relaxed" Aien said suddenly "If I knew who I was in this world…"

"Robin!" a tiny squeaky voice came from somewhere near the floor and Aien was suddenly stuck to the spot as a toddler grabbed her leg below the knee looking up at her with a grin that showed of five baby teeth.

"Uh-"Aien looked at Dean for help.

Dean just grinned, not much could fluster Aien but kids where one of the things. "You should be careful what you wish for" he said with a smirk.

"Oh, no, Joshua-"what Aien assumed was the boy's mother suddenly appeared. She looked like she might be a stage hand with the headset around her neck. She gave Aien an apologetic look and picked the toddler up "-come on Joshua, Robin isn't running the day-care today. Sorry to bother you on your day off Robin, I didn't expect to see you on set?"

Aien was so flustered she didn't know how to reply to the woman "oh I uh…"

"I guess you're here for the end of season party later huh?" the woman continued despite her squirming toddler. "Well I'll see you there later, best get Joshua home to bed before then don't you think?" and off the woman went, carrying the wailing child.

Aien looked at Dean who was grinning knowing full well that she wasn't comfortable at all around kids. "Are you serious? I look after children!"

"It is an alternate reality" Dean shrugged, but seemed unable to remove the grin from his face "I guess they call them parallel universes for a reason…"

"But… children?" Aien looked stressed.

"Dude" Dean suddenly flung an arm around her shoulders and laughed "remember this isn't out reality, we'll be out of here before you can say pie."

"Pie…" she muttered.

"At least you know what your name is in this place now- Robin…"

"I wonder if that has anything to do with that nickname Sam gave me when I was a kid?"

"What nickname?" Dean frowned.

"You don't remember? He called like me little bird after I had a freak out because I couldn't save that bird a cat got hold of…"

"Oh yeah…" Dean squinted "hey I think that one says Jensen, c'mon…"

They hurried down another gap between trailers, almost managing to get there before a voice called "Robin, Jensen!"

Aien and Dean exchanged a look and turned – which was when Aien was suddenly grabbed, bent over someone's arm and kissed firmly on the lips. She managed to make an 'mpft!' noise and looked at Dean for help but he was too buys staring with his jaw hanging open.

When the kiss didn't immediately end Dean cleared his throat. The man righted Aien and looked at Jensen with a smile "Sorry that was a bit rude" he said.

Aien was now left staring open mouther at the man who looked exactly like Castiel, only he wasn't wearing a tan overcoat nor a tie and suit jacket, and his expression was a happy, friendly one, with a full grin as he looked at Dean. Dean for his part looked a bit bewildered too. "I – uh – didn't know you where… together?" he said eventually.

When the man who looked like Castiel ducked his head a laughed a little Aien and Dean exchanged a 'what do I do?' and 'play along' looks. "Sure you do Jensen, man, you and Jared sure like to tease me don't you?"

 _That_ Aien found she could believe. She gave Dean a look but was cut short by an arm being slung over her shoulders and he pulled her to his chest. "Robin and I have been together for weeks now, haven't we little bird?" he muttered into her red hair, his lips brushing her ear and making Aien shiver a little.

"Uh…Misha?" Dean looked uncomfortable "oh, Robin was just saying that she feels a bit sick so we were going to rest in Jen-uh- _my_ trailer…"

"Oh, love, are you okay?" Misha said turning to look fully at Aien who remained stunned in his grip until she saw Dean glare at her over his head.

"I… yeah I feel a bit sick. Probably just a tummy bug."

"Jensen!" another man appeared – Aien didn't recognise him, and Dean didn't look like he did either – but he grabbed Dean's arm and started trying to drag him away.

"Uh, dude?"

"We had a problem with that last scene" the man dragging him said in a no nonsense voice "we need you to do it again."

"But I-"Dean tried to protest.

"Do you need me?" Misha sounded like an eager puppy, but his hand never left Aien's and she was too stunned to realise she and Dean where being separated.

"No Misha your scene's where fine" the man in the headset said before he and Dean had gone too far too be heard, though Aien could still see he's 'lord help me' expression until he went around a corner.

"Well…" Misha turned a soft gaze onto Aien "if you're still not feeling good Robin why don't you come lie down in my trailer for a while?"

"Uh…" _oh god why didn't I follow Dean?_ She thought, but there was something in this man's gaze that still reminded her of Cas. It was a gentle concerned look, he even tilted his head when she didn't immediately reply. It was hard in that second to remember that he _wasn't_ her best angel friend. That in actuality he was a stranger. "Um… okay…" she answered because she couldn't think of another excuse, and she could probably just wait in his trailer until she saw Dean again.

"You want me to what?" Sam was frowning at Castiel as he drew a sigil on a piece of paper and tucked it into Sam's pocket.

"You must go find Aien and Dean, and when you can draw this sigil on a floor and stand on it. Aien should be able to translate again and activate the sigil to return you here" Cas explained as he placed the cube in Sam's hand. "I will draw another sigil right here."

"Can't you just reverse whatever the cube did? I mean we have no idea where Dean and Aien are…"

Castiel threw him a look "I _am_ reversing what the cube did, which is why you have to go in and draw the sigil on the other side."

Sam sighed, grabbing the small rucksack that Aien used for hunting. He checked the contents, finding it was completely set for a hunt and put it on his back. At least now he would be prepared for whatever he found. "Alright, let's get this done."

Castiel nodded " _Zimii_ "

White light erupted from the cube again and swallowed Sam.

Aien shifted uncomfortably on the couch in Misha's trailer. It wasn't actually uncomfortable, in fact it was one of the most comfortable couches she'd sat on, it was just that this man thought she was his girlfriend and she wasn't… but because he shared her best friend's appearance she was starting to think of a certain angel in a different light…

Misha had put on a film and tried to cuddle on the couch with her. She'd made up some excuse about not wanting to make him sick too and made him sit on the other side of the couch – which adorably he'd been all too happy to do, after taking a photo of the pair of them and putting it on twitter – but at some point he'd lifter her legs off the floor so they were lay across his lap and had thrown a soft blanket over her too. Aien was feeling horribly guilty. It wasn't like she could help it either. She couldn't just tell him she wasn't his girlfriend but rather was his girlfriend's doppelganger from another reality… the poor guy might have an aneurism realising he'd kissed the wrong woman actually, he really was impossibly sweet… Dean would probably say the guy would give him cavities.

The movie was over and Misha appeared to be asleep, so Aien moved slowly pulling her legs from the soft grip he had on her ankles, sat up to peer out of the window and hoped she could see Dean. She couldn't see him, which was worrying, he'd been gone at least an hour and a half and it was getting on to nightfall. She knew there was a party going on somewhere so there was a good chance he was there… still she leaned as far left as she could nearly pressing her head against the window in an effort to peer around. She nearly screamed – nearly, only life had conditioned her so she no longer screamed else Dean would make fun of her for months – when hands grabbed her around the waist and yanked to the side away from the window.

"I thought you felt sick?" Misha's voice sounded more like Castiel's when he was half awake, and Aien couldn't deny that the half lidded look he was giving her when she looked over her shoulder was pretty sexy. Still, this was a stranger to her, and there was nothing more uncomfortable than being sat on a stranger's lap.

"I…uh…" Aien could feel his hands wandering further up her sides, and he had rested his stubbled chin on his shoulder to press his lips against the back of her throat. _Wow, distraction_ … she began to think about think about something else, hunting, she began to list different kinds of guns.

"Are you feeling better?" he practically growled into her ear.

"Uh…" Aien wriggled out of his grip so that she was not on his lap – though her legs remained slung over his legs – and looked at him "I'm not feeling better, I just thought I heard something outside…"

Misha didn't look disappointed, instead his expression went from lustful to concern. He pressed a hand against her forehead and down to her cheek. He frowned "you feel really warm, you must be running a fever… its funny you're not sweating or anything…"

Aien frowned too, she didn't feel any warmer than usual but she was starting to get a rather severe headache… maybe she was playing sick so well her body actually felt ill. "I…" Misha yawned grabbing her attention "I just want to get some sleep. Do you mind?"

"No not at all angel" he smiled "I'll stay with you."

Before Aien could react Misha had moved so they were mirroring their previous position, the blanket back over them. Aien shut her eyes and pretended to sleep. For a while Misha was content to play with her short hair, running his hand through it slightly, it was horribly relaxing and Aien tried not to enjoy it but…

Eventually Misha's ministrations stopped and his breathing evened out. Still Aien waited a while longer, opening her eyes and watching him. When she was sure this time that he wouldn't wake she got off his lap and rearranged to blanket around him softly. She couldn't help but stare, he was literally Castiel's double but… she'd never even seen Cas so relaxed not even when he was human. Misha stirred slightly and Aien ran a hand through his hair muttering ' _Shh_ '. He stopped stirring and relaxed again so Aien took a step back. She was going to just leave, but couldn't find it in her to be so callous to such a sweet guy. She found a pen and paper and scribbled Misha a note saying that she – or rather Robin – had felt so sick she went home, but that she was grateful he'd looked after her. She didn't put love, because she didn't know if they were at that stage yet, so she finished with 'hugs and kisses'. It was one of the sweetest things she'd ever wrote and she felt a cavity appear in her own tooth.

She left the note where he would see it and she snuck out of the trailer closing the door carefully behind her.

"There you are!" Dean's voice was impossibly loud while she was trying to be quiet.

"Shh!" she hissed turning on him – he was followed by a man who looked like Sam… no wait that was Sam, he was carrying her backpack.

Dean looked up at the trailer she had just left and nodded for her to follow him and Sam to the spot behind all the trailers again. "Do I even want to know why you were in Misha's trailer?"

"Wasn't Misha the dude who is Castiel?" Sam asked.

"Yes and for god sakes shh, I left him sleeping-"she saw Dean give her a look "-and don't you give me that look Dean, get your head out of the gutter."

Dean still glared for a few seconds, then broke into a smirk "I was just checking, now, Sammy's here to rescue us."

Aien raised her eyebrows. "How?"

He reached into his pocket and unfolded a piece of paper and retrieved some spray paint from the rucksack. "Cas is drawing a sigil in the library at the bunker, we just have to copy it here and Aien should be able to translate…"

"I should?"

"Well you got us here didn't you?" Dean snarked.

"Well I can give it a shot…" she muttered waiting until Sam had finished the sigil. When he was satisfied he handed her the paper. She frowned at it for a second, lips moving as she tried to translate. "I think I've got it… are we ready?"

"Well Sam's been here an hour so Cas should have finished by now" Dean replied folding his arms and stepping into the sigil with Sam.

Aien joined then, praying to Castiel – even if he didn't exist in this universe – that she had translated correctly. "Okay, ready?" the boys nodded "okay… _Ol Iaid Adagita Niss Adagita en Salamann_ "

When nothing immediately happened Aien dreaded to think she had gotten the translation wrong. Then the sigil glowed and swallowed them slower than it had to get them there. They did not land nearly as violently in the library as they did in the other reality, but rather the library seemed to fade into existence around them as the light dimmed. However once the light was gone completely all three of them where suddenly struck with nausea and stumbled, Dean and Sam ended up leaning backwards on the desk. Aien ended up stumbling clutching her head with a cry of pain. Strong arms caught her before she fell and once Aien could see through the spotted painful vision again she found herself looking up at Castiel's concerned frown.

She pushed herself away, her memory involuntarily making her remember Misha and the way he had grabbed and kissed her. She sincerely hoped that Castiel hadn't chose that time to read her mind but from the way his brows furrowed she wasn't sure. She tried to stand herself but her head felt like had been split open. She stumbled again and when Cas caught her she didn't fight.

"Aien?" Sam sounded worried, coming to stand by her side.

"She will be fine after some rest" Cas assured him, arm folding almost protectively around her.

"What's wrong with her?" Dean asked "why haven't Sam or I felt this effect?"

"Because the sigil's didn't take your energy to power from, nor have you just had your true powers squashed by another realities rules" the angel informed them, looking down at Aien and brushing a long bit of fringe from her face so he could see her eyes.

"Ouch" Aien winced "was that why I was so much warmer than others in that reality?"

"Yes, you need bed rest."

Aien was more than happy with that diagnosis, she was exhausted, but when she tried to walk away from the group her knees buckled. Sam and Dean moved to try catch her, but Castiel beat them sweeping Aien off her feet completely. She yelped, startled, but her arms still went around Castiel's neck in a tight grip. It was only when she remembered Sam and Dean carrying her like this only to throw her into the pool of a motel on April fools morning when they were sixteen that she realised just how tight she was holding him. As she was carried out of the library by an angel of the lord she heard her brothers begin to mutter, then Sam must have hit Dean with something because she heard and echoing 'thunk' and Dean exclaimed 'ow, Sammy!'.

Aien's room was on a different corridor to Sam and Deans. She'd deliberately chosen one that had a view outside. She'd been surprised when Castiel decided to take up the room opposite hers, but then she figured he'd like the views too. It took a while to get to the corridor when she said to Cas "you don't need to carry me anymore, I can walk."

"Do you want me to stop?"

They'd arrived at her room and he opened the door "well there doesn't seem like much point now, does there?" she mumbled, and Castiel set her down in a sitting position on her bed.

He remained bent slightly watching her face. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"I think I will" she assured him with a smile, holding a hand to her head and frowned "I'm getting a bit of a temperature but I think that's the headache, which some sleep should get rid of."

Cas frowned a little and pressed his hand to her head himself. He nodded once and straightened "do you wish me to get you anything?"

Aien kicked off her boots and lay down on her pillows burying her face into its softness. "Not unless you have a giant teddy bear waiting in the wings angel-face" she yawned.

"I can-"

"-you don't need to get one Cas" she smiled "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? If an oversized stuffed bear is what you require I am sure I can purchase one for you?"

"No Cas I'm okay. Maybe next time."

Aien heard Cas linger for a while before the swish of his coat left her room and her bedroom door clicked shut. Aien smiled into her pillows as she started to slip into unconsciousness. Misha the actor might have been incredibly sweet, and more than that he certainly seemed attracted to her, but Aien had to admit she loved her clueless caring angel. She'd never give up Castiel for anything in the world.

* * *

 _Title from the song 'My Way Home is Through You' by My Chemical Romance_


	6. EARTH ANGEL

**EARTH ANGEL**

Aien was lay on her bed in the bunker, the door to her room open, the laptop on her bed playing her favourite playlist of songs. It was one of the rare occasions when she had the bunker to herself so she was taking full advantage of that by blasting her tunes as loud as she could. If she did this while Dean was home he'd begin to compete with his music, which she liked but every now and then she wanted something else, right until Sam confiscated their music collections so he could sleep.

The music paused suddenly and Aien glanced at it, concerned it had stuck. It was only changing song, and Aien couldn't help but to put down her book and get up to dance to the song, and when her favourite bit started she sang;

"And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight, you're a candle in the window, on a cold, dark winter's niiiight!" she picked up her hairbrush and sang into it like a microphone. It wasn't really that big of a secret that as teenagers she and Sam had done this a fair few times. It was cathartic, like banishing the dark thought's that plagued them growing up as hunters. Dean never joined in with the dancing and hairbrush part but he sang. It was one of her best memories growing up.

In the hallway of the bedrooms Aien didn't hear the echo of wings, or the whimper of pain. Castiel hissed at himself, before he became aware of the noise in the bunker. The noise coming from Aien's room… was she… singing?

Castiel frowned to himself and moved down the corridor, some movements making him wince, before he came to Aien's bedroom door. He stood just outside of the room watching her. she was at the foot of the bed wearing only a tartan shirt she'd likely stole from Sam – he had been warned of her tendencies to steal shirts when he had been given a room at the bunker – and a pair of black shorts that where mostly hidden by the shirt. She was running one hand through her short red hair, effectively giving herself what she'd explained to him as the 'bed head' look, and the other hand held a hair brush that she was singing into. She didn't seem to notice him for a while, to busy dancing, and when she did her eyes widened and she dropped the hairbrush in shock.

"Cas!" Aien exclaimed in shock as she dropped the hairbrush. It landed on her foot and she yelped, ending up hopping in pain and more than a bit embarrassed that the angel had caught her acting like an idiot. "Hell, how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long. Did you hurt yourself?" he frowned at her as she sat on her foot to examine her toe.

"Yeah but it was my own stupid fault so not healing mojo. Please promise never to tell Dean of Sam that you caught be dancing about in my underpants and singing into a hairbrush?"

"If that's what you wish" he replied.

A silence settled between them as Cas looked anywhere but at Aien and she rubbed her toe. When she realised he was still standing in her doorway she frowned. "Uh, is there anything you need Cas because I hear its rude to linger in doorways."

His eyes found hers and widened a little "it is?"

"To some people, yes" she was still frowning at him "did the boys send you to check on me or is this a social visit?"

Castiel seemed to consider this, looking down at his shoes. "Neither…"

Aien's frown increased "Cas is there something wrong?"

"Yes…" he still wasn't looking at her.

"Well what is it?" she asked after waiting for a few silent moments for him to continue "you know you can tell me anything…"

He still shifted uncomfortably, and still didn't look at her. Aien ducked her head to try see his expression as he moved as saw him wince a little in pain. "Cas, are you hurt?" she asked, standing, looking him once over but not seeing anything physically wrong with him.

He still didn't look at her.

Aien was standing in front of him now and when he continued to avert his gaze she reached out placing a hand gently on his cheek. "Cas?" she asked bringing him to look at her. His blue eyes where wide with surprise. "Are you okay?"

"I…uh…" he shifted uncomfortably "I need your help with something…"

"Well what is it? You can ask anything angel-face."

"It's uh…" he looked down at her "it-it doesn't matter…" he tried to turn and walk away, let out a hiss of pain, and Aien grabbed his arm before he could move.

"Castiel, your obviously in pain… please let me help?" she gave him her best wide eyed innocent puppy dog stare. She'd been practicing it for years but never seemed to get it as right as Sam of hell even Castiel himself. Still it seemed to calm him a little more and he stopped trying to leave. Instead, looking around like people actually might be listening, he leaned a little closer to her and said "its…it's my _wings_."

"Oh" Aien let go his arm. She remembered everything Cas had told her when she'd asked for assistance with her own wings. It was a great demonstration of his trust in her – if not his feelings which she where sure where platonic – that he'd asked her to help. "Uh what's wrong with them? Do you want to come in?"

Cas fidgeted his weight from one foot to the other and looked anywhere but at her again. "I-uh- I did something very foolish which has led to a great deal of pain…"

"Care to elaborate?" she prompted him in a gentle voice.

"I may have gotten into an – ah – slight scuffle that lead to a great deal of my feathers being pulled… they are growing back but they had been damaged again and need to be pulled… unfortunately I can't reach them." He looked embarrassed.

"Oh" she bit her lip "well I've never done this before but I would be glad to help you Cas…"

He looked relived, but still quite nervous "thank you Aien."

"Um… do I need anything like bandages or…?"

"A first aid kit would be recommended yes. Normally I would heal something like this myself but I have found that to be a lot more painful than anything else I have tried. I recommend water and anything that can stop a bleeding wound."

"Alright" Aien nodded, thankful she'd spent many nights patching up the Winchesters now "why don't you get –uh- comfortable? I'll go gather what we need."

He grabbed her arm before she could leave the room. "Wait- Aien… you don't have to do this-"

"-Cas" she cut him off "if I didn't want to do this then I wouldn't do it you…lemon head." She grinned at him, and he smile finally letting her go collect the things they needed. Most things of course came from the kitchen – such as the first aid kit, a bowl of water and some corn starch to stop any bleeding.

She knew she was going to be working on Cas's wings and a little part of her was giddy at the very idea. Of course she'd been around to see the intimidating shadows they cast on walls when he felt particularly threatening but she'd never seen them solid. She felt a nice reaffirming feeling that he trusted her enough and it kept her grinning as she walked back to her room.

Castiel was sitting on the end of her bed completely shirtless. She did pause at that, why she had no idea. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him shirtless before. He might not sleep often – though he did so more now that he'd fallen – but when he did he often joined her, Sam and Dean at breakfast wearing just his bathrobe and sweatpants. She'd had more than her share of the view. Still, ever since that trip to another world with Misha… she'd been seeing Cas differently, and right now that showed in the way she looked at his slightly muscular psyche and her mind went black except for thoughts of how attractive he was, how much she wanted to touch his skin and see if it was as warm and smooth as it looked… she shook her head of those thought's, putting the things she'd collected down on the bedside table.

She got up to sit on the bed behind Cas, making sure he knew she was there by jostling it more than she needed to. "So how am I doing this?" she asked "how do I know which feathers need pulled?"

"You'll know when you see them" he sighed shakily, obviously nervous "just-just- hold my wing as you need and pull in the direction of the feather…"

Aien tilted her head as she looked at the back of Cas. Eventually she reached out, putting a hand on his back roughly between his wings. The touch made him gasp and tense under her for a second until he relaxed. "Cas try to relax okay? I feel like this will hurt more if you're all tense…"

"I'm sorry" he apologised "I am a bit nervous, I have never shown my physical wings to anyone before, and I am more protective of them now that I have them back…"

Aien felt she could sympathise with that. She'd been so glad after that trip to the other universe to have the familiar pressure of her magically concealed wings on her back when she woke. Still she frowned "if you haven't shown anyone how did they get damaged?"

"It wasn't a someone more as a some _thing_ " he corrected.

"Ah" she didn't need the full story and he didn't seem inclined to elaborate. Instead she decided to say, her own nerves making her stutter a little "so… are you going to –uh- angel-up or…?"

Castiel let out a sigh "okay, move back" he muttered even as the glow began and his wings began to appear from his shoulders unfurling like a great shadow. Aien was in awe until she saw, on the left wing, exactly where it was that Castiel had injured himself. The look of the broken shafts on newly growing feathers nearly made her eyes water. Cas hissed when his wings had fully appeared and to get rid of the static caused by the magic revealing his wings he flapped just a little, jostling the injured feathers. His wings did not totally fit in the room, meaning they must have been at least twice the size of Aien's if not larger, and where a deep inky black almost like liquid.

When, after many minutes of silence, Aien said nothing Castiel shifted uncomfortably and said "they uh… they're a bit larger than-"

"They're beautiful" Aien breathed, having finally found her voice. "Do you mind if I touch?" she thought it best to ask, and after a brief second he nodded. Aien started off gently though. She shuffled closer to him, raising herself up on her keens, and placing her hand onto his back between his wings again. When she finally touched his right wing – she refused to touch the left since it was injured – she did so with a gentle dusting of her fingertips.

Castiel's grip on the bedsheets got tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

Aien knew from experience how good it felt to have your wings touched. She could still remember Cas's hand ghosting over her feathers in the library and how much she'd enjoyed it. She saw the way Cas's wing tremored under her hand and she bit her lip to know she could make him feel like that too. She cleared her throat though and decided to get on with helping his pain. "Okay… I can see about six damaged feathers. I'm going to start removing them okay?" she asked moving her attention to the left.

In reply Cas shifted a little to give her better access to the left wing and nodded. This time when she touched his wing she did so firmly, gripping it by the muscle near the damaged feathers. She began to pull slowly but firmly. Every time saw Cas's jaw tense in reply and sometimes he couldn't keep in the small hiss of pain. While working the feathers began to bleed so Aien pressed bandages to them until she had finished pulling all the damaged feathers. It took longer than she thought It would but after half an hour all the feathers where free, and she set about mopping up the blood with the water and bandages. "Should I use antiseptic?" she asked softly, the first words she spoke since beginning.

Cas seemed to consider it but shook his head. Instead Aien kept pressure on the spot until after the bleeding had gone down and she sprinkled the corn starch on the wound. The bleeding stopped quickly by then and she let go.

Aien moved her hand down the length of Cas's wing until she came to rest on the skin of his shoulder again. She looked around at his expression and saw it tense with pain. She was surprised his jaw hadn't locked. Aien sighed and began to ghost her hand over the right wing again and this time when the angel beneath her let out a gasp it was a far more relaxed one. She smiled.

"Hey Cas" she said softly "do you remember in the library when you helped me with my wings?"

"Yes" his voice was little more than a sigh and he turned slightly to peer at her curiously with those wide blue eyes.

"I'm just curious, does this feel as good to you as it did to me?" she gave a more firm stroke of his feathers, the wing trembling again.

"Yes" he practically moaned it this time and Aien paused, wondering if she had maybe pushed him too far.

Castiel however didn't seem to notice the reaction from himself. His wing seemed to push more insistently at her hovering hand like a cat who wanted petting. Aien was amused so she continued to stroke the feathers, tugging a little on the ones that were out of place which he just seemed to enjoy more. "So you've never had your wings touched?" she asked after a while longer of stroking his wings, even gingerly stretching out her other hand to caress the feathers of the left one, though she was very careful to avoid the corn starch covered injured area.

"No…" Cas gasped, his face immediately flushed red "… I must say I am… rather enjoying it."

Aien smiled behind him. "If I'd known you'd never had this done I'd have offered after the library…"

He stiffened "are you doing this because you think you owe me?" he asked and Aien just knew he was scowling.

She laughed gently "of course not. I wanted to help you when you were in pain and now I want to help you feel more relaxed."

Castiel gave his own slight chuckle "Aien… I believe if I become more relaxed I may…fall asleep."

She smirked "do you want me to stop?"

He paused, managing to crane his head back to look over his shoulder at her. He studied her face and saw the earnest expression before he turned back around. "Please continue" he sighed as her hands immediately got back to massaging his feathers.

Aien continued in slow soft circles until she had her arms stretched as far as she could. It took a while to get that far and beneath her Castiel had become little more than a withering mass of sensitive nerves. He hid his reaction well from her however, keeping his jaw shut so tight he thought he might break it through sheer force of will, his hands fisted so tightly in the bed sheet he could feel his blunt nails through the cotton fabric and at some point he had closed his eyes. He was so lost in the sensation that when the contact dropped he noticed immediately. Castiel looked over his shoulder at Aien as she moved to get off the bed, ducking under his wing and being very careful not to jostle it she came around to stand at the front of his wing.

"What are you-?" he frowned but watched as she flashed him a grin and began to carefully massage the muscle of his wing. He couldn't keep the gasp in and his escaped his lips harshly and ducked his head in embarrassment.

Aien saw that and her smile became less wicked and more soft. "You don't have to be embarrassed" she assured him in a murmur "I made similar noises when you did this for me. I'd be a hypocrite to call you out of them."

"I am-" Castiel shifted a little on the bed suddenly realising that now Aien stood before him she could see the…other bodily reactions he'd had to the massage on his wings. He hunched forwards a little and crossed his arms around himself digging his nails into his sides instead. "I am not used to such feelings, and I find I am embarrassed any my reaction."

Aien smiled still and remembered she had felt similarly. She continued to massage along the length of his injured wing until she came to the place where his wing and shoulders met.

It happened the second she touched his skin.

Castiel was a bit confused himself as he moved, her arms letting go of his sides and he stood grabbing Aien instead. She let out a slight sound of surprise but didn't protest as the angel pulled her against him roughly, his wings ruffling a little as he did so. They stood like that for a second, her pulled flush against him – and able to feel a not so small something pressed against her stomach that made her eyes widen in surprise – and Cas leaning a little over her with his eyes tight shut.

Eventually Aien asked "uh… Castiel?"

"I'm sorry…" he murmured it, eyes still closed "just give me a moment please…"

Aien stood there, his tight grip on her waist making sure she wasn't getting away, and for just a second Aien considered leaning up and kissing the angel. How would he react? The something pressing against her belly told her he may enjoy it… then again she knew that Cas wasn't especially experienced in these sorts of matters and didn't want to take advantage of his ignorance. Worse than that she didn't wish to do anything that could jeopardize their friendship…

A door slammed up the hall from her room and the familiar voice of Dean Winchester bellowed "Honey I'm home!" as the sound of the brothers bags clattering to the floor echoed in the bunker. Castiel's eyes opened as he met Aien's gaze and his grip on her waist tightened by a fraction.

"Aien?" Sam was yelling now too closer to her room than before.

Still it wasn't until footsteps echoed in the hallway of her room that Castiel let her go. They stood there still angel and… half angel girl just staring at each other until Dean apparently walked into her open room. "Aien are yo- _ohsweetjesus_!" the oldest Winchester spluttered suddenly.

"Dean?" Sam asked from the end of the corridor hurrying down the remainder to see what had made Dean start coughing.

"Don't go in there" Dean coughed "you'll get a face full of feathers."

Sam didn't seem too deterred though, and as Castiel began to move his large wings a little gingerly back to his body he peered into the room. "Cas is that you?" he asked, and Aien could her the confused frown in his voice.

"Yes" Cas's voice was more rumbly than usual, at least in Aien's opinion.

"Cas injured some of his feathers" Aien said, finally able to see the brothers around the great black wings "I was doing some angel first-aid."

Dean wasn't looking at the wings anymore – Aien wondered how he could take his eyes from such a beautiful sight but then again if it was pie or girls Dean didn't consider it especially beautiful – but at the bloodied bandages on the floor. "Is that where the blood is from?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good" he met Aien's gaze with a grin "now come on, we brought pizza and it's still warm. You want any Cas?"

The angel shook his head, still looking a little wide eyed "no, it does not taste of food to me. I think I shall head to bed early in order to heal."

Aien, following her brothers down the hall, couldn't help but look over her shoulder at the angel one last time her head full of 'what if's?'. "Goodnight Cas" she smiled at him, mostly because she was afraid he might not think she was okay with what had just – or almost just – occurred between them.

He seemed to understand that was what she meant and after a few seconds he smiled "goodnight Aien."

* * *

 _Title based on 'Earth Angel' by Marvin Berry & The Starlighters_

All the medical advice given in this chapter I know from my own aviary birds. Please however don't attempt to move broken blood feathers without consulting a vet!


	7. OUR LADY OF SORROWS

**OUR LADY OF SORROWS**

Sam and Dean sat in a bar not far from the bunker celebrating a successful hunt of a Wendigo, it had also been local which meant they hadn't spent hours travelling which also put a good swing into their moods. From the look Dean was giving the bar as he surveyed in Sam had the idea that he would probably be going home without is brother that night. Managing to locate the Wendigo, kill it and save the people it had taken before it killed them really had improved his mood and it wouldn't have been possible without Aien being so tenacious on this hunt.

Sam frowned at his beer at that thought. He didn't know if Dean remembered what week this was but he certainly did. Aien and Dean had a lot of similarities – their music taste, sense of humour – and that also extended to the way they tried to bury unwanted emotions. By drowning them in the hunt.

"Where's our sister dearest?" Dean asked suddenly drawing Sam out of his stupor and looking around the table.

"I-"Sam jumped suddenly when his arm brushed someone else's and he found that Castiel had appeared at some point while he was deep in thought.

"I believe I saw her outside of the bunker" the angel said frowning "she appeared to be attacking a tree, and crying…"

The brothers paused. "Attacking a tree?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed, he knew what she was doing. "Do you mean she was throwing her knives at a tree Cas?"

"Yes, that's what I said, she was attacking a tree. While crying. I wanted to see what the matter was but was concerned I might become a knife target myself so resolved to seek your advice first."

"She's not attacking it" Sam shifted "she's just…working through some emotions."

Dean frowned "I thought she usually 'worked through emotions' and that crap with you princess?" he smirked at Cas "Sam likes girly nights with movies and ice-cream."

"Dean" Sam said his name in that soft 'I'm being serious' tone which made Dean at first roll his eyes before he looked at Sam and saw that his younger brother was trying to give him a look. Sam could tell Dean still didn't get it and he looked down, clearing his throat "it's the anniversary Dean…"

For a second Dean still didn't get it, and when he did he put down his beer and his amused expression gave away to a serious one. "Oh, shit…" he muttered, then more angrily "dammit, no wonder she didn't rest on this hunt…"

"I don't understand" Cas was frowning at the brothers.

Dean sighed and looked at Sam "I keep forgetting that he doesn't seem to remember…"

Sam looked at the angel beside him "Cas you remember everything else from when you where-"

"-A fruitcake?-" Dean suggested.

"-yea, are you sure you don't remember answering Aien's prayer?"

Cas did try to remember, the brothers could see in the way he scowled an expression usually reserved for when he was fighting. However after a moment he began to shake his head. "Apologies but some things are… just too dark to remember correctly."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "You can take this one Sammy" Dean said taking a swig from his beer "I'm not the best at telling this story" he finished darkly.

Sam nodded and looked back to Cas. "Aien was attacked" he said in a rush.

Cas interrupted before he could continue "-by what?"

"Humans" Dean growled.

Before the confused frowning angel could interrupt again Sam continued his story. "Aien… she ran away for a night, everything was getting to her I guess, and she ended up going to a bar and drinking a lot more than she should have. A man approached her and Aien thought that because she was a hunter, and because she was not human, that he couldn't harm her but… the man tricked her, and she was cornered by multiple men…"

Dean had a white-knuckle grip on his beer bottle at this point and Sam's voice was soft as he refused to look up from a marking on the wooden table keeping his hands clasped tightly in his lap. Cas was staring between them, able to feel the tension and feeling a knot grow in his own stomach.

"Of course Aien fought against them" Sam continued after a pause, sounding a little proud of her.

Dean added with a slightly sad smile "I don't think Aien knows how _not_ to fight…"

"Yeah, well, she had been drinking so she wasn't the steadiest person on her feet and they were humans so she resisted using her blade…" Sam sighed again "and because the men kept grabbing her Aien couldn't teleport without bringing them with her, and you know what happens when she does ride-along's…."

"She doesn't have the required energy to travel with companions which renders her unconscious" the angel nodded.

"Exactly, so Aien tried to fight… and she ended up failing. She said it was while she was pinned to the floor that a man started to touch her and she thought of you Cas, she thought of all of us, before she said something in her head _snapped_."

Sam took a break to drink his beer. Castiel was frowning. Upon first meeting the part-angel creation that was Aien he had often debated what would happen should Aien snap, the two warring natures of her angelic side and her human side finally breaking to allow one complete control of her. Which of her sides would come through? He had no doubts that it would likely be the angel side. The power that Aien wielded, unlike his, came from herself rather than from heaven like his.

Sam wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, his knee beginning to jerk as he continued to speak. "Aien said that she couldn't make sense of her thoughts, like they weren't hers. She said that she took out most of the men without difficulty, feeling like she'd never had a drink, before she faced the man who had first tricked her. She said that she had the urge to 'destroy what was evil' that she got the feeling from him that she sometimes got from demons even though he was certainly a human… she said she wanted to kill him-"

"-don't blame her-"Dean muttered.

"-and was about to, when you appeared and stopped her." Sam was looking at Castiel to see if there was any kind of recognition.

"I did?" Cas tilted his head in that inquiring manner though the angry expression on his face never felt, his voice deepened with it.

"You still don't remember?" Dean frowned at the angel.

"No" he confessed "I…I remember talking to Aien about bees but I don't remember where I was or what was happening?"

"That was probably it" Sam nodded, giving the angel a very slight smile "she did say you were talking about bees. She wondered why you were fascinated with bees and not butterflies which she thinks are more interesting."

"Butterflies?" Cas frowned.

Dean cleared his throat suddenly "right so now you know why Aien is 'attacking' trees and after _that_ trip down memory lane I need to find something that makes me feel very _, very_ , good." Dean downed the last of his beer, still frowning, he didn't manage to wipe the scowl from his face until after he'd approached a pair of blondes at the bar who had been making eyes at him since they'd arrived.

This left Sam and Castiel at the table, apparently enjoying a companionable silence, though the angel had a look of puzzlement on his face. Finally he said to Sam "I am feeling a… odd emotion."

Sam gave the angel a funny look from the side "Oh?" he sincerely hoped this wasn't anything like the 'pizza man' emotion.

"Yes I find myself wanting to make Aien feel better about something she is obviously still angry about…"

Sam smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. "Yeah well… we all want to do that Cas but it's just something Aien has to work through. If she wants your help she'll ask for it."

Silence settled between them again and Sam looked at the angel beside him, the way he still scowled at the table. Then he glanced at Dean across the room flirting with the blondes. "You really like her, don't you?"

Cas looked at Sam "what?"

"Aien, you really like her don't you?"

"Of course I like her, she is my best friend…"

"No" Sam cut the angel off "I mean really like her. More than friends."

Castiel's eyes widened as he stared at Sam, and his eyes flickered over to Dean. Sam shared his gaze, before he said with a very slight smile "don't worry about Dean. He's just overprotective. We don't actually have a little sister after all, Aien's the closest we've got. He just doesn't want to see her hurt anymore" Sam drained the last of his beer "I'll give you some free advice alright? With Aien… don't try to make her talk about it or she'll rip your throat out. Just… let her know you're there for her. Even if you have no idea what you're doing…" Sam's voice trailed off to silence as he saw the door of the bar open and Aien walked in holding a plastic bag from the local supermarket.

Aien glanced around the bar and she smiled when she saw Sam and Castiel sitting at a table. In response Sam raised his empty beer bottle at her with a lazy shrug, and the angel looked up like he'd just been caught doing something he shouldn't. Then again he had that deer in headlights look fairly often so Aien didn't think too much of it. She approached them, eyes glancing around to spot her oldest brother, and when she saw him with his back to her and chatting up some blondes a smile grew on her face and she changed directions. She reached into her bag pulling out a small box. She tapped on Dean's shoulder making him turn and said loudly "Hey Dean, I got the cream for your haemorrhoids!"

Across the room Sam laughed loudly and in front of her Dean spluttered and his eyes got wide. The two girls he'd been hitting on giggled and swiftly moved away to their friends at a table where they immediately told them the story and the rest of their friends began to laugh too looking at Dean.

Dean dragged Aien back to the table where Sam was still chuckling. "What the hell was that?" Dean asked her as they sat.

"Revenge" Aien replied in a sing-song voice

Dean looked flustered "revenge? Revenge for what!?"

Aien thought of at least five things off the top of her head but decided to reply "not sure yet, I'm sure you'll do something though."

Sam finally finished chuckling and asked – through a still wide and amused smile – "what have you got in the bag?"

Aien lifted the bag onto the table "you mean besides toothpaste which everyone in this bar thinks is Dean's haemorrhoid cream?" she asked raising an eyebrow "some shampoo, microwave pop-corn and lemonade so I can have a nice quiet movie night. Are you guys staying here?"

"Well there's no point seeing as you ruined my night's plans…" Dean grumbled at her "but I get to choose the movie, as _my_ revenge."

Aien groaned "you're going to pick some horrible tense gory flick aren't you?"

"Is there any better kind?"

"How about every other kind?" she rolled her eyes as she and the boys walked out of the bar to the Impala (the girls Dean had tried to hit on giggled as he walked past and he threw a glare at Aien, who only shrugged.) She spotted Castiel giving her an odd look and hung back a bit from the boys who were getting in the car when the angel stopped. "Cas? Is everything okay?"

The angel stared down at his feet and didn't answer for a second. When he looked up at her there was something Aien couldn't identify in his eyes. "No" was all he said however before he had reached up and poked her on the head. The hook-in-your-belly sensation of being teleported alongside Castiel overcame her as they vanished from outside of the bar and reappeared in the bunkers kitchen. Aien stumbled a little, grabbing onto the counter top to stop herself from falling.

"Castiel!" she groaned "you really need to at least give warning before you do that!"

He didn't apologise, and he didn't move.

Aien watched him feeling a little wary. Castiel was a bit unpredictable sometimes, and apparently this was one of those times. "You know, the boys are probably going to be pissed that you didn't say anything before zapping us back to the bunker."

Cas just watched her, before he finally said with a slight crease of his eyebrows "Sam suggested that I let you know I am here for you, which I am trying to do, only I'm not sure how."

Aien felt her shoulders droop. She hadn't even realised how tense she had been until they did, and she stared at the angel before her like he might suddenly sprout another head. "What do you mean?" she asked guardedness creeping into her voice.

Cas could see the way her body seemed to relax but her eyes remained cautious. "Sam has told me this week is an emotional time for you, and while I wish to make you feel better Sam also says this is impossible and that I should just 'be there' for you."

 _Curse you Sam Winchester_ … Aien stared at the angel who stared right back his soft blue eyes seeming to glow in the darkness of the unlit kitchen. Castiel began to suspect he had said something wrong when Aien didn't speak. "Uh" the angel shifted his weight on his feet "perhaps I have said something wrong…"

"No!" Aien shouted to assure him which seemed to startle them both, so when she continued she made sure her voice was at a normal tone "no, it's just most people don't come out and… state that they're there for you."

"Oh… what do they do?"

"Well" Aien rubbed the back of her neck "they offer comfort to their friends…"

"How?"

"Uh… they might eat junk food together or cuddle or offer to lend them an ear – even if they don't want to talk about it…" she threw the angel a smile, pulling the pack of microwave popcorn from the shopping bag and the tub of ice cream "and I'm all set for the junk food. You don't have to eat it."

"Will it comfort you if I did?"

She frowned "not particularly because I'd know you weren't enjoying it… plus Dean would probably be unhappy we ate all the food without him."

"That is true" Cas nodded.

"Why don't you turn on the lights? I'm going to start making this popcorn so it will be ready when the boys get home."

Aien turned her back on Cas to prepare the popcorn but heard the swish of his coat as he moved and the click of the lights as they illuminated the room. She was watching the bag of popcorn rotate in the microwave when hands landed on her shoulders, span her around and pulled her to a chest clothes in a white cotton shirt.

Aien squeaked. "Uh…Cas?" she gasped with surprise "I kind of need oxygen…"

His grip on her lessened but he didn't let her go. At least it was enough that Aien could now look up at his face and give him an amused grin. This was the most contact she'd had with the angel since what she called the 'almost-wing-incident' a few weeks ago. While neither of them had mentioned that night, well not after she asked if his feathers where coming in okay and he'd blushed hard a reaction not unnoticed by Sam and Dean, they did seem have an increased awareness of each other since then. Which was why Aien asked "what are you doing?"

"I do not eat food and you do not wish to speak about what happened" Cas said "You also said as part of comforting each other people might cuddle."

"Oh well…" Aien smiled at him "I appreciate it, and I really enjoy it, but I need to sort out this popcorn before it burns."

"Of course" Castiel let go of her and stepped back.

Aien kept giving him a funny look over her shoulder as she rescued the popcorn and poured it into a large bowl. She put the bowl on the table near the TV, as well as her ice-cream and lemonade before she looked back at the angel, paused for a moment, and went back to his side. She offered him her hand "come on angel-face" she smiled leading him by hand to the sofa.

"I-uh…" Cas hesitated as they stood in front of the sofa.

"Calm down Cas" Aien chuckled "just come sit with me. I'm going to need someone who can point out how stupid the plot of Dean's chosen film is anyway."

Cas still hesitated but after a second he nodded. "Why don't you take off your jacket and get comfy?" Aien suggested, turning around to grab the blanket she left on the chair and wrapping it around herself. She sat on the sofa and watched Castiel remove his tan overcoat, and then he surprised her by removing the blazer jacket too. He almost looked naked, and she could see he was a bit uncomfortable about it. She patted the seat beside her and when he sat down she threw the blanket over his shoulders.

"Uh… Aien, I don't-"

"-Shh!" she hissed as him kindly as she heard the rumbling engine of the Impala followed by the voices of Sam and Dean echoing "it's so I can still cuddle you okay?"

Cas didn't get time to reply before Sam and Dean suddenly appeared. "A little warning before you two vanish like that? We were sat waiting for you for at least ten minutes before we realised you were gone" Dean grumbled, seeing the bowl of popcorn and grabbing a handful which he stuffed into his mouth.

"You should learn to be more perceptive of your surroundings" Aien replied watching as Sam half collapsed into the chair, his legs slung over the arm. "What film are you choosing?"

Dean lifted up a plastic bag in his other hand "decided to swing by and get something new."

Sam groaned "he walked in and asked – and I quote – for the goriest most disturbing film they had."

Aien tensed a little "I'm really not going to like this am I?" she said, and Dean grinned.

An hour and forty minutes later all four of them where thoroughly disturbed. Apparently Dean really hadn't thought about the purchase of the film 'Antichrist' other than that it was gory and he figured that as angel and part angel maybe Aien and Cas would get a bit of a kick out of it. Instead they'd all spent half their time trying discreetly not to look at the screen, Aien spent most of her time with her face behind Castiel's arm, and at one point Dean was yelling at the TV. Not even Cas said anything until the end of the film.

The film went black with the credits.

Cas cleared his throat. "I-uh- I believe this was a demonstration of how disturbed the human mind can become…"

They all made noises of agreement and Aien got up to remove the offensive film. She put something else in the DVD player then settled back down on the sofa beside Cas' this time with her legs slung over Cas's knees making him tense a little. "I think we could all do with something innocent to get rid _that_ film… Dean, your banned from choosing movies for the next month."

"And who's going to enforce that rule?"

"I am" both Sam and Aien replied.

"No sense of humour" Dean grumbled folding his arms. "Cas you're getting a bit close" he protested suddenly.

"Apologies" the angel shifted a little.

The new film began to roll and Dean smiled a little "batman, Aien, really?"

"What? I love batman!"

"We know" Sam said "we've seen the film so many times this is the second copy of it we've had to buy."

"Don't dis batman" she grumbled standing again suddenly "I'll be back in a second."

They boys where left alone.

"Cas" Dean hissed at the angel sitting beside him "I don't normally give advice to dudes about my sister but when she comes back there's a thing you can do…"

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's advice and said nothing as young Bruce Wayne's parents were shot dead on screen. When Aien returned however, tucking herself under the blanket and putting her legs across Cas again, he couldn't help but watch as the angel looked very uncomfortable between the oblivious girl draped over him and Dean poking him discreetly in the ribs. Eventually the angel moved, stretching his arms, and when they came back down one was draped over the back of the sofa around Aien.

The move didn't go unnoticed. She watched as Cas looked at Dean who gave him an encouraging thumbs up, then turned to share a look with Sam and roll her eyes. She didn't say anything however. Snuggling with her friends on the couch watching movies – even if Dean had chosen to disturb them all with his movie choice – was a far better way to spend her night than throwing daggers at tree targets was.

She smiled and curled into the nook of Castiel's shoulder. Yes this was certainly better than dwelling on a past she couldn't change, even if she was still angry about it.

* * *

 _Title from 'Our Lady of Sorrows' by My Chemical Romance_

So yep not as exciting as last chapter - trust me I'll make up for that in the next one *wink wink* - but I didn't wan the first chapter to just be random. Of course Aien had some...uh...related anger issues. It is also the reason why Dean is so overprotective in these fics. I cant imagine he would be the kind of big brothers to take lightly his sister getting attacked. Oh yeah btw just imagine Aien and Sam having a totally girly night with stupid films and ice cream xD


	8. WICKED GAMES

**WICKED GAMES**

Like Dean, Aien never liked hunts that resulted in a witch as the culprit. He was right, they were always spewing bodily fluids… the memory of the first witch they had fought together – it had only been the two of them with John taking care of some haunting and Sam at school – was enough to make Aien itch for a shower and Dean seemed to have permanently blocked the memory from his mind.

This witch however seemed to have started killing people as a part of her mid-life-crisis. Aien would have felt a bit sympathetic for her if she hadn't tried to kill her. The only reason she'd survived this long was because Castiel had decided to pop by before she could swallow some candy and choke to death. Now Aien was determined to gank the bitch. It only it had been easy.

The second the witch detected three hunters and an angel in her house she'd holed herself up in the room where she practiced her spells. When Aien, Dean and Sam had entered she'd began chucking potions and dust without a care all the while making this horrible noise like a dying cat. Aien was hiding behind a bookshelf to keep out of the firing range while Sam and Dean had flipped a table and where holding their jackets other their heads.

"How many of these fucking things does she have!?" Dean's voice was a muffled yell.

"I don't know Dean why don't you pop up and fricking ask?" Aien screamed back over the witches yelling, still managing to avoid some goop that was thrown in her general direction and slid down the wall with a sickening noise.

"Where the hells Cas?" Sam called out suddenly.

Aien was thinking that too, where the hell was Castiel? She hadn't seen him since they came into the house. Even over the witches shrieks and the sound of breaking glass Aien heard the flutter of wings and cried out " _No_!" as Castiel appeared in the room. She wasn't the only one who tried to grab the angel out of the line of fire, both the brothers lunged to try and yank him back behind their table. They all failed. The witch nailed Cas with a purple power. It exploded on him like something out of a fairy tale leaving everyone looking wary and bewildered least to mention the angel himself. Even the witch had frozen, she appeared shocked that she'd actually landed a hit.

Then as fast as everyone paused, the witch started again. This time she threw something and nailed Aien with it. Another powder, this one a kind of orange in colour. Aien coughed as she inhaled whatever it was and saw in the corner of her eye the way Castiel suddenly crumpled to the floor unconscious. "Cas!" she yelled through the coughing making the boys look to see the angel on the floor and Aien covered in dust.

A bang.

The witch stopped screaming, her head threw back and blood spattered the wall behind her. Her body fell to the floor and didn't move again. Aien looked to see Dean standing up from behind the table his gun still trained on the witch.

"You couldn't have done that in the first place?" she coughed, powder still lodged in her throat.

"Well I didn't want to get nailed with questionable ooze" Dean grouched at her, putting down his gun "you feeling okay? What'd she nail you with?"

Aien thought about it and wrinkled her nose. "I feel fine. Maybe it was a dud spell?"

Dean didn't look convinced, but he stopped checking on her in order to take a look at Cas on the floor. The angel's entire face was purple with dust. "Hey Cas, wake up!" Dean said shaking him by the shoulder and getting his hand covered in the dust too.

Cas's eyes flew open almost immediately and he sat up.

"Man, Cas, don't go down on us like that again. I thought we'd have to carry you back to the car" Dean grumbled as he was getting up.

Cas didn't reply. He didn't even look at Dean, he was staring at Aien. Aien however seemed to be the only one to notice and she frowned at the angel but it didn't seem to deter his gaze. So she deterred hers instead to look down at the witch. It was a bit sad, they'd uncovered that as soon as the woman turned forty her husband left her for a young woman and that her job was also passed over to a younger, prettier, woman.

Still it wasn't a good reason to kill those women over.

Dean clapped his hands suddenly grinning "well, end of a hunt calls for a beer… or in your case a wet wipe" he looked at Cas, then Aien "Aien will you do us a favour and check if the coast is clear for us to get out of this broads house or did all her screaming before we got down here attract unwanted attention?"

Aien wrinkled her nose and strained to hear a noise, usually Dean never asked her to do such things, but even as she tried to hear she became aware that no sound from the surface seemed to get into the basement. With a shrug Aien teleported outside.

Or at least she tried to teleport outside.

Instead she reappeared halfway through the air right next to Dean. With a yelp she fell to the floor. Or she would have fell to the floor if Castiel hadn't suddenly appeared beside her and caught her in a firm grip that didn't let go once she'd found her feet. She wasn't concerned about that though. After all she'd just tried to teleport and only got always through the room. Sam was giving her a concerned look "are you oaky?" he asked.

Aien frowned doing an inward check. "No…no I think this powder had seriously impaired my ability to teleport…"

"Uh… what?"

"I can't freaking aim!" she growled.

"So what, you're stuck?"

Aien threw Dean a withering glare "no Dean, I have legs!"

"You know what I mean."

"Well… if it's just dust I should be fine. I mean these dust based spells aren't designed to last long and can be washed off…" she began to try rub the stuff off with her hands.

"If that's what it did to you hell knows what its done to him" Dean nodded at Cas before he ran up the stairs of the basement.

"Do you feel any different?" Sam asked the angel, picking up the duffel bag of weapons and putting the sawn off shotgun back inside.

Cas shook his head, only glancing slightly over at Sam before his gaze fell back on Aien. His grip on her had slackened, but Aien slowly became aware that he still had an arm draped protectively around her waist. She wondered if he was trying to comforting… though since learning what comforting was he'd usually ask first.

"We're clear guys!" Dean yelled into the basement, prompting the three of them to go up to the main house where Dean continued "I'm not sure how long we're clear for though, pretty sure some nosy old bat just saw me in the window and since I don't exactly look like our witch down there I'd say she's suspicious."

"Better get the hell out of dodge then hadn't we?" Aien muttered following Sam out to the car. She'd just put her rucksack in the Impala's trunk when she turned around and nearly walked into Castiel's chest. "Whoa" she said, pushing on him a little but he didn't budge "careful there angel-face. I nearly walked right into you."

"I apologise…" Cas mumbled, his voice sounding deeper than usual, but his gaze was still on her. She frowned a little as he stared at her. There was almost no blue left his pupils had inflated so wide.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she asked, finding a rag in the trunk and using it to wipe most of the purple powder from the angel's face.

"Fine" he growled it.

"Are you two having a moment or can we head to a bar and celebrate?" Dean had suddenly appeared behind Aien and made her jump.

"Do we have to go to a bar?" Sam groaned.

"Yes" Dean frowned like Sam had just asked why they needed oxygen "this was a hunt well done, these two got powder poofed up and need an eye kept on them, and I want a beer and I wouldn't mind getting laid either."

No one really argued after his speech, though Aien wished she had when they got to the first local bar. It was a crowded place and it they had to elbow their way to the bar just to order drinks. Aien and Cas kept getting funny looks that they didn't even notice considering they were still covered in glittering powder. Aien and Dean where the first to actually reach the bar in the crowed. They leaned on the counter top and while Dean ordered a beer and immediately began to flirt with the brunette beside him Aien took her time ordering. She didn't particularly feel like a beer.

A hand brushed her backside and Aien chalked it up to the crowd trying to reach the bar to give their orders. When it happened again she shifted a little but didn't think it was anything other than accidental. The third time someone pressed themselves completely into her back, a hand on her waist, and she looked back in surprise and outrage.

Only the person holding onto her was Cas, and when she looked at him his grip seemed to get a little firmer. Aien frowned at him "uh, Cas, what are you-?"

Hook-in-belly sensation and suddenly she wasn't standing in the crowded bar. Suddenly she was in her motel room down the road and an angel of the lord was pushing her front against the tacky plywood door griping her waist like life might depend on it and pressing his entire body flush against the back of hers. "Cas?" she questions with a little worry.

"I think I recognise the spell the witch threw on me" he growled into her ear.

"O-oh?" why did that come out more breathless than she meant it?

Cas's eyes widened then, unseen to her, and he lurched backwards letting go of her. his hands seemed to have minds of their own however and reached out of her again, wanting nothing more than to feel her warm soft skin against his own, so he grabbed the fabric of his trousers and gripped that instead. "Aien… Aien I think you should leave…" he stared at her as she turned slowly staring at him with wide eyes. Beautiful wide eyes the same grey colour as clouds before a storm… "Aien please I can't…"

But Aien wasn't listening, she was thinking again of the spell the witch had thrown on Castiel. She was no expert of what spells where what as they were unique to the witch that cast them but she was pretty sure she knew what the angel had been hit with. "Lust spell?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Y-yes…" Cas was staring at her like he might eat her, and Aien would be lying if a little thrill didn't go through her at that and curl her toes. "I can't… Aien you should go…"

Aien looked at him, past the lusty eyes and expression, to the hands that had stopped gripping his trousers and now hung by his sides quite calmly and the way he seemed to be leaning forward on the balls of his feet… she frowned a little, a theory in her mind growing. She turned to the door, put her hand on the handle but before she could twist it Castiel was back to pressing himself against her, grabbing her wrists and pinning them to the door above her. There was a pause before Aien smiled just a little and turned her head against the door to look at Cas. "I don't think you're going to let me get away angel-face…"

Cas huffed, his sane mind unhappy with the actions of his body while the part of his mind overcome with lustful thought's and energies was pleased at the warmth of a female body beneath his. "Apparently not…" he sighed and leaned his body against hers, his forehead resting on the temple of Aien's head. With this contact the angel accidentally – or it might have been on purpose as he wasn't in full control of himself this second – dipped into her mind. He felt her reaction to him. He felt the beginnings of her desire, and yet beneath that was worry and concern. His body only reacted to her desire however and he groaned a little. "Aien" his voice was little more than a growl in her ear "I don't believe I can control myself much longer…"

And then he let out what Aien could only describe as a feral growl, with the hand that hadn't pinned her hands to the door above her head he gripped her waist and turned her around. Before Aien could think much of it he was on her. Kissing her. His lips, which felt as rough as she'd always thought they would, where rough and demanding. There was nothing gentle about this kiss, it was all the angels raw sexual desire poured into one action and his hands tightened their grips on the fabric of her shirt and her wrists. Aien let out a shocked noise, which was muffled by Castiel's lips, and at first she froze. When she relaxed a bit however and moved just slightly, testing, to kiss him back the angel groaned once more and let go of her wrists in order to grab her hips and grind them against his own. Aien's hands landed on Cas's shoulders and she wasn't sure if she wanted to pull him further against her or push him away.

And then his hands had reached down to her backside and he was lifting her up. Another startled squeak was muffled by the angel's hungry kisses and Aien had no choice but to wrap her legs around Castiel's waist. He made a satisfied noise into her lips and tore his mouth from hers to pepper rough kisses along her jaw and ear instead.

In her pocket Aien's phone started to vibrate and the song 'carry on my wayward' son alerted her that it was one of the brothers calling. She wriggled against Cas to try answer it but he seemed to like the movement and his hips jerked forward as he groaned and Aien could feel his growing hardness against her centre. It was enough to nearly make her whimper but still she wriggled and pushed at the angel's shoulders again. "Cas!" she gasped in protest "Cas I need to answer that!"

Castiel growled disapprovingly and nipped at her ear a little but he moved back not enough to let her down but enough that she could wiggle the phone out of her pocket and answer it. He stopped kissing her and watched her with keen dark eyes and almost feral look on his face as she answered. "Hey, Aien?" Sam's voice sounded a little distorted from bad cell reception "are you okay? Where did you and Cas go?"

"Sorry Sam we –uh- the spell…" she couldn't figure out a good way to explain and it was being made harder by the fact Cas's hips and rolled into her again and his hands had found a way under the hem of her shirt and where resting on the bare skin of her waist distractingly "the spell had an effect on Cas and it needs sorted" she finally managed to say, trying to keep the breathlessness out of her voice.

"Are you-"she heard Sam begin to ask something before Cas pulled the phone from her ear.

"She's busy!" he snapped into the receiver, hung up and threw the phone across the room behind him. One of his hands moved across her bare skin to hold her back while the other removed itself from under her shirt to grab the back of her head and crush her into another forceful kiss that had her whimpering – from surprise of enjoyment she could quite decide. Apparently the angel hadn't appreciated she interrupt to impromptu make out session with a phone call.

Aien was starting to enjoy this forceful, physical side of Cas. He nipped at her lip and tried to kiss her into submission until Aien allowed him entrance but didn't stop fighting for control of the kiss even as their tongues entwined. Still when his hand had wandered further up her shirt and his thumb brushed over the thin pad of her cheap bra it seemed to spring her back to her senses. Her eyes flashed open and she saw even in the darkness that glittery purple powder still dusting Castiel's neck and coat. She couldn't do this, take advantage of him while he was under the effects of a lust spell.

Aien shoved at the angel suddenly and through shock he stumbled back a little allowing her to drop to her feet again. They stood apart staring and panting with their lips swollen. Then Cas's expression darkened again and he stepped towards her. Aien held up a hand, seeing him frown and gave him a slow flirty smile. "Just wait" she told him in a husky voice "I have an idea."

She went to the bathroom, pausing at the doorway she was able to see the way Cas tracked her every movement. Warmth spread through her body and settled at the pit of her stomach at the expression he wore but before he could grab at her again she had entered the bathroom and shut the door on him. Aien looked at herself in the mirror and ran a hand through her hair. She looked flushed, could anyone blame her? It wasn't exactly a secret that Castiel was hot as sin and she totally meant that in an ironic way. She sighed and bent over to begin running the bath.

For five minutes she was alone and the bath filled steadily. She stayed bent over to keep checking the temperature of the water, so she didn't notice that Castiel had appeared behind her. The angel kept quiet, having an internal battle whether he should grab her then or not all the while staring at her backside perfectly shaped in her tight skinny jeans. And then Aien stood, unbuttoned the plaid shirt she was wearing and let it drop to the floor. Now stood in only the most form fitting of her clothing Castiel couldn't resist. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She stiffened in surprise but relaxed into him as his hands massaged her waist and hips. His hands roamed further up and she inhaled sharply when he began to massage her breasts through her shirt and bra. "Cas!" his name escaped her lips as a groan.

The way she leaned against him gave him perfect access to her neck and he didn't hesitate to slant his mouth over the spot where her pulse beat. He kissed, sucked and nipped at the area until she whimpered and wiggled. "Castiel!"

He just growled.

"Cas-Cas, wait!" Aien managed to hold onto some shreds of sanity and pushed against the angel again until he stepped back. "Just… will you do something?" she gave him her best flirty smile.

"Yes" he didn't even ask what.

"Come here" she held out a hand to him even as she kicked off her shoes and stepped into the water of the tub, still clothed. Cas was so eager he didn't even seem to register the water as he followed her example and removed his shoes stepping into the water still wearing everything else from his socks to his overcoat. He hesitated then "Aien, why-"

She put a finger over his lips. "Shh, don't think about it… remember that time you saw the pizza man film?"

His eyes widened briefly and he nodded against her finger, his tongue darting out to wet his lips and brushing her skin briefly.

"Well there are others movies, some involve the shower and bath, okay?"

He nodded and tried to kiss her again, but Aien moved and switched on the shower overhead. They were both soaked in the frigid spray, but it didn't seem to deter Castiel. He grabbed her again gripping her like he was desperate and pressing kisses along her jaw, throat and fluttering pulse. His hands wandered in a flurry and only hesitated when they came to the hem of her jeans. Aien wriggled out of his grip again at that and set her hands firmly on Castiel's wet shoulders. "Sit down" she commanded him, and while he did sit he dragged her by the arms down with him. Because of the water already in the tub he slipped and ended up lying down in the tub with Aien sprawled atop him getting soaked by the shower.

For a second neither of them dared breath. Then Castiel released Aien and very slowly she sat up giving him a cautious look. He was giving her a similar look like he expected her to suddenly attack him. Instead she stood, clothes heavy and nearly hanging from her they were so waterlogged, and she turned off the shower overhead. "You okay there angel-face?" she asked, surprised her voice came out so stark.

Castiel didn't say anything for a moment, just watched Aien step out of the bathtub while he remained lay in it and she sat on the side to remove her socks. When he sat up, slowly, he began to say "Aien, I am very-"

She turned around and clamped a hand over his mouth gently with a glare. "If you try to apologise I will hit you so hard you'll be exorcized, okay?"

The angel's eye's widened a fraction and he nodded slowly. Aien removed her hand, satisfied he'd not try to apologise. She didn't want that stinging pain of rejection if he chalked it all up to the spell, especially when she knew on some level he was attracted to her… or at least of the physical emotions she could bring out in him. The incident with his wings had confirmed that enough for her. She smiled at him, not sure it was a convincing smile, and said "are you going to sit in there and soak all night?"

This prompted Castiel to stand, still dripping in the bathtub however. Aien nearly laughed at the pathetic wet kitten look he had before she stood again too. "Okay, take off your coat and jacket and tie silly."

He did as she asked silently, struggling a little with the wet fabric. While he did so Aien found two large towels and handed one to him when she took the wet clothes from him. He gratefully took the towel and wrapped it around himself tightly. Aien did the same once she'd put his clothes on the radiator and moved into the main room of the motel again. She sat on one of the twin beds, and after a few minutes Castiel joined her and sat on his bed.

"Aien I-"he tried to apologise again but she silenced him with a glare.

"Cas, be honest, on any level did you enjoy _any_ of that?"

He stared at her, ducking his head to hide his blush and nodded. Aien gave a self-satisfied smile. "Then don't you _dare_ apologise."

He was looking at her again "but did you-?"

"Of course" they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Cas? Aien? Are you guys in there?" Sam called out on the other side.

Aien stood, unlocking the door and opening it a fraction to allow Sam inside. She was buffeted by a very slight cold breeze that went right through her wet clothing to chill the skin beneath. Sam looked surprised "uh… what happened to you two?"

"We needed to get those spells off us" Aien shrugged sitting back down on the bed, where she'd left a damp patch.

"And your clothes?"

"Where also covered in the spell."

"Ah" Sam frowned "Aien there's something on you're- _oh_ …" he pointed at his own neck before he realised what the darkening shadow on her was. His eyes widened and he looked at Cas, who ducked his head again, and Aien raised her eyebrows hand going up to hold the side of her neck.

"Love bite?" she asked, and Sam nodded to confirm. "Damn, Dean's gonna have a field day with that…"

"Do I even want to know what happened?"

"Nothing happened. Castiel was hit with a lust spell. I got it off before anything could happen."

Sam snorted "yeah, sure looks like that. Wait, didn't Dean get some of that purple stuff on him too?"

Aien's eyes widened "shit, where is he?"

"Next door with some blonde" Sam grumbled.

Aien nearly grinned "that didn't take long. Trust Dean to make the most of a lust spell…" she paused to grimace suddenly, grabbing her rucksack from the floor she said "I'm going to change into something less wet my jeans are starting to itch."

She disappeared and Sam looked at the very quiet and embarrassed looking angel. "How're you feeling there Cas?"

"…wet."

Sam couldn't resist the grin on his face. "Well I would get you some clothes but I've walked in on Dean before and I have no desire to see that part of him again…" they were quiet and Sam eyed Cas curiously "you know, you two might be the only pair of people I know who wouldn't take advantage of a lust spell to finally get together."

Cas's head darted up to stare at Sam.

Sam just leaned back in the chair, slinging an arm over the back of it. "Not that it's a bad thing… but considering you two have danced around each other for months it might have been the best thing to get you together."

"What?" Castiel was genuinely confused by Sam's words, which probably wouldn't have happened if his mind wasn't still on the feel of Aien's soft warm skin under his hands and the memory of her lips kissing his….he blinked to try rid himself of those memories.

Which was good because Sam had rolled his eyes and was speaking again. "Look I don't give good love advice, especially not about Aien, but you should just tell her."

"Tell her…how?"

Sam chuckled "don't ask me dude, you'll have to think of a way to do that yourself. But she really likes you Cas. Hell, I'd say she loves you."

Cas title his head thoughtfully but was stopped from asking Sam anything else when Aien returned to the room. She stood outside the bathroom rubbing her short hair dry with a towel and not oblivious to the tension in the room. "What's up?" she frowned at both of them.

Castiel, in an effort to stop her finding out what they talked about while simultaneously not being able to think of an excuse glanced up and replied "the roof?"

* * *

 _Title from 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak_

Apologies if this chapter has a few mistakes. I wanted to get it finished and uploaded quickly. I think either the next chapter or the one after shall be the last of this fic :)


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